


Esse Quam Videri

by futureimperfect, Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)



Series: Sine Qua Non [7]
Category: Law and Order, Law and Order SVU - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, F/F, Femslash, Pre-Femslash, Voyeurism, Workplace Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-07
Updated: 2010-09-11
Packaged: 2017-10-10 10:35:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 49,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/98805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect, https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taylor and Abbie begin a new chapter in their lives and move forward, meeting new people along the way, while Alex struggles to regain her footing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Nihil Durat](https://archiveofourown.org/works/94078) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo). 
  * Inspired by [Condicio Sine Qua Non](https://archiveofourown.org/works/89676) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo). 



> Disclaimer: Law and Order and Law and Order SVU belong to Dick Wolf and NBC universal.
> 
> All original characters were created by and belong to the authors. Please do not use without permission.
> 
> For updates and other info follow @circumstance_ff on Twitter!

The office was dark save for the morning light spilling through the windows, and Drew was alone with the desk and chairs and the smell of fresh paint. She breathed it in and let it dizzy her as she ran her fingers gingerly over the top of Taylor's desk. Her office was just through a door to her left, and she knew she would be spending enough time in there. But this was the heart of it. Taylor's office stood empty and waiting, and Drew could almost feel the energy building in the air around her.

She walked to the window and looked out, barely able to contain her grin as she put her hands on her hips. The view from her apartment was fine, but this was what she wanted to see. This was, in some small part, now hers, and she was more than ready. She was staring into everything she had ever wanted.

Taylor would be there soon, and Drew had no doubt that Abbie would be with her. They were as perfect for each other as Taylor was for the job, and Drew felt a small thrill at being some part of both. She licked her lips and let out a long breath. It was real, and she wasn't going to wake up. She had, in fact, done that next to beautiful woman whose name she couldn't remember in an apartment that wasn't hers. And as familiar as those feelings of getting dressed quietly as the grey before dawn lifted, it was as she watched the city come to life, as she waited for the office around her to come to life, that Drew finally felt most at home.

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	2. Beginnings

Taylor helped Abbie out of the cab and tangled their fingers together. It had been one thing after the other all day, from delayed flights to meetings to a server at dinner that didn't know the difference between a fork and foie gras and a cab driver that somehow managed to get lost on the way to the Watergate. She had known ahead of time that it would be a long day, but she hadn't expected that it would be quite this long. But they were back at the hotel where she was going to be living, and they didn't have anywhere else to go that night. Taylor smiled at Abbie as they stepped into the elevator and squeezed her hand. "I guess we're really here now."

Abbie let out a long breath and rolled her eyes over to focus on Taylor as the elevator rose. "You had better be about to knock on some wood or pinch some salt or somethin' darlin." The elevator doors slid open and she let Taylor lead them down the hall, counting the numbers on the doors as they went. They paused in front of a room at the end of the hallway and Taylor swiped her keycard. Abbie put a hand on her arm, stopping her progress as she laughed quietly, "Well, aren't you gonna' carry me into your new home?" She almost felt cruel for how tired Taylor must be, but couldn't resist.

"Only if you want me to drop you." The fatigue in Taylor's smile was easy to see as she pushed the door open and let Abbie walk in. "And I don't think that you want that."

"I could live without it." Abbie stepped into the room, making immediately for the bed, then she smiled. "Taylor, aren't you the hopeless romantic? Or was this Drew's idea?" Either way, the sentiment was perfect—the already chilling champagne, dessert to go with, and the yellow roses by the bed made her smile more brightly even though she was tired enough to collapse.

"Drew had nothing to do with it." Taylor wrapped her arms around Abbie's waist and pulled her close, though their kiss was less energetic than it would be under normal circumstances. "Of course, we were supposed to be here to enjoy it an hour and a half ago." She shook her head, but there was nothing she could do about it now. "Shall I pour you a glass?"

"I know, but we're here now." _Together and safe_, she thought to herself. Abbie slipped off her shoes and lay back on the bed, glancing over her shoulder again at the flowers and smiling. She pulled them to her and breathed in their faint scent before putting them aside. "I'd love a glass." She watched Taylor pour two glasses, and took hers gratefully, clinking the crystal together when Taylor joined her. Abbie watched the streams of bubbles float to the surface thoughtfully, "To..." She smiled lightly and waited for Taylor to answer the thought.

"Saving the world? Or am I aiming too high?" She sipped the champagne and leaned back against her pillows, reaching for the ridiculous looking chocolate creation that was sitting beside the champagne bucket.

"Mmmmnn...I don't think so." Abbie chuckled and reached for the buttons on Taylor's shirt, looking expectant. She answered the other woman's unasked question with a grin, "Just checking to see if you've got any spandex on under that suit there."

Taylor chuckled and focused on lifting a forkful of the dessert to Abbie's lips, trying not to let it fall all over her. "No, no spandex. I can just imagine Superman on the floor of the House, having to try and sneak off during the State of the Union." She shook her head. "I don't think this is the career path for anyone with a secret identity."

"It would be..." Abbie began, stopping to enjoy the bite and then another, "even more complicated I suppose, so I'll try not to be disappointed then." Abbie let Taylor feed her another bite of the cake and paused to really enjoy it. "Hmm…though I doubt there's any lack of secrets around here." And wasn't that just part of the culture? "That's good." She gestured to the dessert, "I didn't even know I was craving it."

"It's a good thing that I know you so well." Taylor licked the fork clean before she put the plate aside and snuggled closer to Abbie, toeing off her shoes and wishing that her stockings came off just as easily.

Abbie just smiled, following Taylor's gaze and slipped down to do just that, "I think I know you pretty well also." She finished with the stockings, and stepped away to pull out a few things for Taylor to change into, then went to work on the rest of her clothes. For her part, Abbie couldn't be bothered to do much more than undress.

"You do." Taylor didn't even attempt to conceal her stare as she pulled on a pair of boxers and a tank top. Getting to just watch Abbie while she was naked was one of the simple things she loved. Getting to do it every night was something she never thought she would get tired of. She took a bite of the cake for herself before she set it aside. If they didn't finish it before it went stale, room service could always bring up another piece.

Abbie smiled and took a few minutes to settle the rest of the way into the room, slowly pulling off the last pieces of her clothes as she did so. Finally, the bed and Taylor were far too inviting, and she slipped under the covers. The sheets were cool, but Taylor's skin was warm, and Abbie relaxed as the other woman's arms wrapped around her. "Taylor?'" She said quietly as the blond turned out the light.

"Hmm?" Taylor pressed closer, needing to feel Abbie securely in her arms after a very long day. "What is it babe?"

"I don't expect anything you know, I'm already proud of you." Abbie didn't know why she felt the need to say it, but there were so very many people who now wanted something from her partner, and she had no interest in adding to that. Supporting, helping if she could, but Taylor already had given her plenty, and Abbie was proud of what they had- even if she didn't know where it was going half the time.

Taylor tightened her arms around Abbie and blinked back a sudden, fierce tear. "I'm proud of you too, and I love you, and I wouldn't be here without you." She kissed Abbie lightly, needing to hold her more than anything else.


	3. Night Off

Taylor sighed as she hung up the phone, rubbing her forehead. She had been looking forward to seeing Abbie that night, but it was clear now that wasn't going to happen. Work was keeping her in Manhattan and so Taylor searched her desk for work of her own, trying not to be disappointed.

"Hey," Drew said from her doorway as she leaned forward into Taylor's office, "are you okay?" She hadn't actually been able to hear the entire conversation, but she knew from Taylor's tone and the late hour that it had to be about Abbie's flight.

Taylor looked up in surprise. She had hear Drew moving around, but she hadn't really been paying attention. "Why wouldn't I be okay?" However, her smile was too weak to pull off any sort of bravado. "It's just a canceled weekend."

"I'm sorry," Drew replied. The answer was automatic, but the sentiment was there. She walked into Taylor's office and dropped into one of the chairs behind her desk. Taylor needed the weekends with Abbie. They reduced her stress, made her more tolerable first thing Monday morning. And Drew could only imagine what it was like to be away from your partner so often. "I'm sure Abbie's pretty disappointed too."

"Of course." Taylor sighed again. "She wouldn't have canceled if there was any way around it." She ran her fingers through her hair, then put it up. "Is there anything pressing that needs my attention?" Anything that might distract her for most of the night.

Drew cocked her head as she thought about it. She searched desperately for something to tell Taylor, to give her, knowing that the blonde just wanted to keep busy. "I...yeah, no, there's nothing really. I'm sorry; I tried to front load your week so you wouldn't have anything keeping you from your weekend."

"Right." Taylor pushed back from her desk. "Well, I appreciate the thought." Even if she was at a loss as to what to do with herself. It was one thing when she knew Abbie wouldn't be around, but this weekend she was completely without plans. "You should head home, as it seems like we're done here."

Drew tensed to rise, but she stopped herself, a slow smirk spreading across her face. "Look...why don't you let me take you out for a drink. We can go over next week..." And maybe Taylor wouldn't look so pathetic, but Drew didn't feel like it was her place to say as much this early into the term.

Taylor looked up in mild surprise. "Yeah. That sounds pretty good, actually." She stood and reached for her suit jacket, but she didn't put it on. "I could use a beer." And she didn't have any reason to get up in the morning.

"We'll go to the place near my apartment," Drew said as she got up and headed for her office. "We're both less likely to get ambushed there," she called as she gathered her things together. And even if they ended up doing nothing but talking about work, they could try to do it somewhere where ten other people wouldn't want a piece of that conversation.

"Lead the way," Taylor called back as she grabbed her own bag and closed her office door. She let Drew lock up the outer office and followed her out of the building and toward her apartment.

When they were happily settled in a booth at the bar, small talk having kept them busy during the ride, Drew finally let out a breath and let herself relax--as much as she could. Taylor was her boss, and she wasn't going to let herself forget that. Drew respected both Taylor and Abbie too much, but she knew Taylor needed a friend just then. "You know, if you and Abbie want to try for next weekend, I can always rearrange the week..." she said as she fingered the neck of her beer bottle.

"From the sound of things," Taylor said, shaking her head, "next weekend doesn't look promising either." Taylor took a long sip of her beer, sliding down in the booth as it hit her stomach. She let her head fall back against the booth. "But I'll talk to her and let you know for sure."

"You could try to go back to New York..." she suggested before taking a long pull. That would probably make her even more cranky on Monday morning, though, but Drew kept that to herself.

"And then spend the next week feeling like I'm trying to catch up." Taylor shook her head. "Hopefully next month will work out better. Abbie shouldn't have any problems getting down for the long weekend." She was just going to have to deal with being lonely until then.

"You two...aren't having any issues are you?" Drew asked. She drew the question out, choosing her words with caution. If they were, it probably wasn't her business, except that she would have to deal with any media fallout. But in truth, she was simple concerned.

"No." Taylor smiled at Drew's interest. "Nothing beyond our schedules not lining up. It's frustrating, but we're fine." Her smile turned rueful. "Believe me, if anything ever happens to our relationship, it won't happen quietly."

Drew chuckled and leaned back, raising her beer to her lips for a long pull. "Can we save any messy divorces until after your reelection?"

"I'd like to put it off a little longer than that." Taylor took another sip of her beer. "Do you have any sort of personal life, or do you live in the office? Abbie suspects that you have a cot hidden in your office."

"Yeah, my desk converts..." Drew felt a light blush at knowing that they talked about her, and she took another sip of her drink to cover it. "I...yeah, I work...a lot. It seems like I go out less and less here..."

Taylor laughed. "I suppose I shouldn't try to change that, as you're doing it for my benefit, but really, don't burn yourself out. I don't want to have to replace you."

"Oh, don't worry...I don't plan on letting go of this job or fucking it up anytime soon," she replied quickly, grinning.

"How did you get this job?" Taylor cocked her head. She hadn't really been in on that decision and she hadn't thought to ask her campaign manager. "Or, how did you get the job with the campaign? I know we had that meeting, but..." She shook her head again.

"Uh..." Drew ran her fingers through her hair lightly. "Selena called me into her office and told me that my talents were needed elsewhere." She put down her empty bottle and shook her head as she chuckled. "I thought she was firing me."

"You worked for Sam Kincaid?" Clearly Taylor hadn't been paying enough attention when she glanced over Drew's resume.

"Yeah...for a few years...PR." Drew flagged down a server and ordered another round as she shook her head. "And I expected to be fired for most of it, to be honest. God, I shouldn't be telling you that."

Taylor smirked. "Well, you don't have to worry about getting fired anymore, though Sam doesn't bother to deal with people if she doesn't think they're worth it. She never has." Taylor had to give her that, and it was easier now.

"Honestly, I thought it was a huge joke that she actually hired me. I found her with Selena at intermission during a production of La Traviatta, and I ambushed them...assuring Ms. Kincaid that the HR department had made a huge mistake in not hiring me and that she needed to look at my resume personally." She put her head in her hands and scrubbed her face. "God..."

Taylor laughed at the audacity, suddenly in a much better mood. "That's priceless. I can't imagine doing that to Sam when I was your age. Of course, at that point I was doing everything I could to avoid her, so..." She shrugged.

As she leaned forward, Drew furrowed her brow. She hadn't known any connection between the two women save Sam's support for Taylor throughout the campaign. "Wait...you knew Sam before all of this? I mean, I figured you had to have moved in the same circles..."

"This doesn't go beyond this table." She pointed at Drew with her beer bottle and waited for her assent. She wasn't ashamed of her past, but she didn't want it to become a thing either. "Sam Kincaid was the first woman I ever had sex with."

Drew's jaw literally dropped, and it was a long moment before she had the presence of mind to close her mouth. She swallowed as she processed, and immediately a myriad of images flooded her mind, images she wouldn't mind entertaining later. "Holy shit," she whispered, awed.

"Don't be so impressed. She was more bratty at 20 than she is now, and I was much more naive." Taylor flagged down the waitress and got them another round.

"Uh...sorry..." Drew shook her head and blinked hard as she tried to refocus on Taylor's face. "What?" She took the neck of the bottle that the server put in front of her and without hesitation, she took a longer drag, draining half of it.

"Sam was an entitled brat and I was naive. She spent most of a week fucking me in back hallways and on tiny sailboats and then she disappeared." So maybe she wasn't quiet as over it as she thought. "So you shouldn't be so awestruck. She's as human as everyone else."

Drew shook her head and laughed. Her lips were starting to tingle. "Are you sure she didn't grow out of her humanity?" As far as she was concerned there was nothing just like everyone else about Sam or Taylor...or Abbie and Selena for that matter.

"Em-emphatically." Taylor tripped over the word, not thinking about how much she had had to drink or if she should stop. "I'd like to say that I have no idea how Selena puts up with her, but that would be a lie. She just... takes over and doesn't give you a choice in the matter. She's a control freak who thinks that she can run the world, or at least her corner of it." She needed to shut up.

Well...that was interesting. Drew rested her chin on her palm and her elbow on the table as she thought about just how much of a control freak Sam was. Probably just enough to keep Selena on the bottom without really topping her...not that she wouldn't mind a night or two in bed with either of them. But Taylor and Abbie--from Abbie's little requests--seemed _much_ more interesting. "Oh yeah...and are you a control freak too?" she blurted.

Taylor eyes lit instinctively as she really looked at Drew for what felt like the first time in hours, though they couldn't have been at the bar that long. "I think that's a question you would have to ask Abbie." Her voice dropped, even as it held a note of warning. Still, she couldn't help but think of those few times when she hadn't been in control, with Sam, with Hilda. It really was too bad that Abbie wasn't going to be able to make it in that weekend.

"I'll just..." Drew swallowed and pushed her beer away, "take my best guess, I think." She smiled even though she shivered lightly at the sudden change in Taylor's tone.

"That's probably for the best." Taylor leaned back again and finished her beer. "And I should getting home." She pulled out a couple of twenties and tossed them onto the table before she stood, more steady on her feet that she anticipated. "Thanks for making sure that I didn't stay at the office and wallow."

Drew smiled and stood, bracing herself against the back of the booth. "If you forget your keys tomorrow, I'm not going to be there to let you in...just so you know," she teased.

"Good, because there's a woman behind you that's been glancing over at us for the past half hour, and I think you should go say hello." Taylor smirked. "I'll see you on Monday." She squeezed Drew's shoulder as she walked by her, intent on getting a cab and getting home.


	4. Business and Pleasure

The drink was exactly what Drew needed after the day she'd had. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good either. And she didn't mind that there wasn't an interesting woman to be seen...or at least looking in her direction. Tomorrow would be just as full, and she was planning on actually leaving her laptop in its bag and going to sleep at a decent hour that night. The Long Island was just to ensure that had a little help getting there, and she promised herself that she would only have one; so, she was drinking it slowly. Savoring it--she reminded herself. There didn't seem to be much time to savor anything lately, but in truth, she would admit that she loved every harried minute of it. And she was so caught up in what her life had become, was becoming, that she didn't notice the reporter siding with her at the bar.

Cassidy waived to the bartender. "What she's having" she said with a wink at Drew. She knew the woman from her research on Taylor Hamilton, and had more than a few questions for the young redhead. If she could squeeze a good quote about the Congresswoman or her partner it would be a night well spent, and if she could somehow arrange to talk to Ms. Hamilton herself—well, that just made her heart pound a little.

The bartender slid a glass down to Cassidy, and she smiled back at him. She took a sip and turned her gaze to Drew. "Good choice. Long day?"

"As usual," Drew replied. She didn't completely turn her body to the woman, not ready to open herself up like that. But she did glance her way again. Maybe the night's plans were going to change just a little bit. Maybe. "Cheers." She simply nodded rather than raising her glass.

"Usual huh...sounds about right for this town. Next one's on me." Cassidy didn't mind letting things linger, never did when a beautiful and well connected woman was involved. She brushed her hair back from her face and turned on her barstool. "I'd say you need some time off, but I can already tell that's not your style."

"Me and half this room..." Drew smirked. That was hardly a difficult assumption to make, but she didn't turn away the drink. Finally, she straightened and turned on her stool, facing the woman fully. She was in trouble. Sweet face, pretty hair...almost irresistible for a one night stand. But there was something about the situation that still nagged at her mind. "Yourself included, I'd guess."

Cassidy waived her off, "of course, as if you even needed to ask." She kept her tone light, reading Drew well. If things got serious she'd have to disclose as a reporter, but it wasn't the time yet. Looking at Drew's bright eyes, she almost wished she wasn't so wed to the idea of getting this feature published. "So...you going to tell me what you do, or should I start guessin'."

As she considered, Drew bit her lips. Instead of answering directly she took the time to finish her drink, noting that the bartender hadn't forgotten the woman's request. Definitely not much sleep was in store that night. "Three guesses, and if you get it, your next drink is on me," she replied, smirking as she decided to finally turn on the charm.

Cassidy allowed herself to blush; Drew's charm wasn't entirely wasted. She pretended to ponder. "Well...you look a little ethical for a lobbyist...not jaded enough for the justice department..." She ran her fingers over her glass, knowing she was being watched.

Drew was grinning, enjoying the game. "That's two guesses down," she purred moving closer. She boldly put her arm on the back of the woman's stool, feigning anticipation for her benefit.

"Well...I didn't exactly guess..." Cassidy didn't mind at all, it wasn't like she needed the chances. She licked her lips, looking thoughtful, "Then I'm gonna say you're someone's constant savior," She caught the amused assent in Drew's expression, "Chief of staff maybe...changing the world one good save at a time."

Drew raised her eyebrows and raised her glass. "Well, you're right about the chief of staff part, at least... Drew Crawford." She extended her hand. It was high time they exchanged names. Drew liked to at least have something concrete to moan sometimes.

Cassidy took the offered hand, "Cassidy...Cassidy Brighton." She didn't give her pen name right off- it was, after all not her real name. She pretended to mull Drew's name over, "wait a minute...do you work for Representative Hamilton?"

"I do...yeah." Drew replied, pushing her hair back behind her ear self consciously even though it was clearly too short. She didn't realize she wasn't anything of a name...yet. "And I owe you another drink." She licked her lips lightly. Drew knew she could ask what Cassidy did, but she also knew that that could ruin things. Sometimes it was better not to know and just let the night be a singular event with no connections to anything. She shifted, thinking perhaps that drink could be had elsewhere.

Cassidy watched Drew, reading her thoughts as best as possible. Maybe it was the drink, but she had an unassailable urge to see where she could get. To get a passing comment from Taylor Hamilton's chief of staff was one thing- it was entirely something else to go home with her. She ran her fingers quietly up Drew's forearm, letting her meaning be painfully obvious. "I'd love that, Drew, but are you as tired of this place as I am?"

"My apartment is around the corner." Drew was already slipping off of the stood and pulling on her jacket. She didn't need to keep the game going, and she didn't really think Cassidy would mind. "I think I might have a bottle of something somewhere..." She smirked and offered her hand, taking the time to really get a good look at Cassidy as she stood. Definitely worth the lack of sleep so far.

Cassidy twined her fingers through Drew's as they made their way quickly to the apartment. She leaned over and kissed Drew's neck quietly in the elevator, "So...what's it like then, your work...I can't even imagine." She could tell Drew was liking the attention, and let it work for her.

Well, that told Drew all that she needed to know about what Cassidy wasn't doing with her work hours. She slipped her arm around the brunette's waist and smirked. "It's hectic... everything's always changing, you're always on call. No day is exactly what you expect it to be." When the doors opened the sauntered to her door and let them in. "But I wouldn't trade it. "

Cassidy slipped out of her coat and hung it by the door, "I'm sure you're...amazing." She could tell Drew was in the mood to take charge, so she didn't move first. "And I hope Ms. Hamilton appreciates all your time. She must be a trip to work with, I've heard so many things." Heard...discovered...dug out...it was all the same really.

"You know," Drew said, leaning against the closed door and simply watching for a moment, "I really don't need the overdone compliments. I promise my ego isn't that big." She was good at her job, but she still had things to learn. But she was thankful for the chance. "And Taylor's great..." She stepped forward and cupped Cassidy's face, pulling her closer for a soft kiss. "Almost too good to be true."

She returned the kiss, moaning lightly. "Mmm...that good huh?" She ran her hands up Drew's sides. "That's quite an endorsement. Is she as passionate behind the scenes as she is in her speeches?" To divide Drew's attention, Cassidy moved her fingers to her own shirt as the other woman started backing her down a hallway. "I've...mmm...seen a few here and there."

"She's focused..." Drew said between kisses. She didn't stop until they were in the bedroom, and she took it upon herself to help Cassidy get the shirt off. She knew she really shouldn't be talking about Taylor in this particular situation, and she knew that Cassidy's questions should be so damned suggestive. But she couldn't help the distinct thrill that the banter brought her. "Really...focused," she said as she ran her palms up Cassidy's ribs. "Not much can distract her."

Cassidy laughed, arching into the touch, trying to drag the other woman down with her, "Not even that beautiful wife of hers?"

"Well...that's a different thing entirely..." Everyone knew who Abbie was, it seemed. And why wouldn't they? She was smart, outspoken, gorgeous, and completely dedicated to Taylor even though they were on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Drew grinned as she settled her weight on top of the brunette and kissed her again. "Abbie knows how to make her take time off."

"Oh does she?" Cassidy was more than thrilled with how the night was turning out. Drew was adorable and sure of herself, and obviously smitten enough with Taylor to enjoy talking about her. She grinned and reached under Drew's shirt and slipped her fingers to brush one of her nipples, rolling it slowly. "So you're saying they manage such...influential lives pretty well? Does ...Abbie have to get creative?" So this article wasn't exactly for the _Times_, but sometimes less traditional pieces sold for just as much if they were intriguing enough.

The questions struck Drew as odd but only for a moment. People were interested in the sex lives of celebrities, and Taylor and Abbie were both attractive and charismatic enough to draw some of the attention to a politician. She quickly let any warning she felt go and arched into Cassidy's touch, sighing softly before kissing her again. "Well, Abbie may or may not have made a few special requests in the past. But really," she said, shifting to undo Cassidy's slacks, "who wouldn't?"

Raising one of her eyebrows playfully, Cassidy dragged Drew's shirt up and off, then reached to unhook her bra and toss it aside. She could feel she was painfully close to getting a quote that would guarantee a sell for the story. "Requests huh?" She pushed Drew back, flipping the smaller woman onto the bed, and started to run her hands over her skin. "What kinda requests?" Cassidy's tone still kept the banter light, and there was promise in it she didn't bother to contain.

"Top secret requests," Drew quipped as she raked her fingernails gently down Cassidy's back and up against into her hair. Really, she could only guess what Abbie and Taylor did behind closed doors, but a couple of Abbie's little plans definitely gave her clues. She shivered under Cassidy at the thought and brought her hands around to cup the brunette's breasts. "Other than the occasional 'can you make sure Taylor's free for dinner on Friday?' I'm not at liberty to say," she finished, smirking as she pulled Cassidy close to take one of her nipples into her mouth

Cassidy gasped quietly and stroked Drew's short hair. Just because she had more than one reason for being there didn't mean Drew wasn't obviously good at this. "Must be some pretty good secrets." Cassidy reached down and started working Drew's pants off.

"Doesn't everyone in this city have at least one pretty good secret," Drew murmured as she moved to Cassidy's other nipple and tried to wriggle out of her pants at the same time. She kicked them free and pulled the brunette close, enjoying the feel of her soft skin. "I'm sure you've got one."

"One....two....maybe more..." Cassidy smirked and pressed her fingers between Drew's legs quickly. She laughed, "but I'm sure you're more interested in other things."

"Mmmm...that's...'" Drew arched back and grinned as she moaned, "that's a pretty safe bet right now, yeah..." She was wet and more than ready with what had led them to this point, and she couldn't even deny it. But Cassidy was a beautiful woman, and Drew focused on her, running her fingers up her thighs. "Yeah..."

Cassidy ducked her head and started kissing Drew's neck, nipping and tugging the skin between her teeth. Her fingers were back between the redhead's legs and she pushed two fingers inside. "Mmmnn...you feel so good..." Cassidy was almost forgetting her reasons in the moment, listening to Drew's quickening breaths.

"Yeah..." Drew ran her fingers down Cassidy's sides even as she squirmed underneath her. She squeezed the brunette's hips. "Just...yeah, so close," she moaned, closing her eyes.

"Mmmhmm..." Cassidy shifted to press the palm of her hand onto Drew's clit, rubbing her while she moved her fingers still inside.

"Glad you found me tonight," Drew quipped between jagged breaths. She arched into the touch, her grip on Cassidy's hips stronger even as she momentarily became selfish in her own desires. And soon she was coming, her body tensing as she moaned and squirmed, finally stilling long enough to let out a satisfied breath.

Cassidy just smiled at the moment, and stroked Drew a few more times, enjoying the small shudders she elicited from the other woman. It was almost unfortunate that she was pretty sure Drew probably wouldn't be requesting a second night.

Grinning Drew propped up on her elbow and pushed a strand of Cassidy's hair back. She pulled the slender brunette in for a quick, almost mischievous kiss. "I hope you weren't planning on running off anytime soon," Drew said as she pushed Cassidy back.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Cassidy let Drew move her, and firmly ran her hands over the other woman's skin expectantly. She smiled and kissed the redhead. She had the quotes she needed, and things could only get better from there.


	5. Repercussions

Taylor slid into her desk chair and quickly looked over the stacks of papers, trying to figure out where to start her afternoon. The letters that she needed to sign could wait until later, when she was so tired that she didn't want to do anything that required much thought, and they were going to go over the notes on the jobs bill at a meeting in 45 minutes, so that could wait. A magazine, one that she didn't normally read, caught her eye, and she picked it up. There was a post-it note marking one of the articles and she flipped to it, scanning the opening paragraph before she realized that it was something that actually required her full attention. As she read, she got more and more agitated, sucking her lips into her mouth and biting them, jerking her foot up and down. When she got to the end, she put the magazine down and simply stared for a moment, going through it all again in her mind. "Drew!" she yelled, not bothering to use the intercom. "Get your ass in here and do it now."

Drew jerked her head up from her laptop screen and pushed her chair back so quickly she nearly rolled into the wall. Taylor sounded like a drill sergeant, and she'd only heard that voice a couple of times. "What happened?" she asked, the urgency in her voice not matching her actions as she carefully poked her head through the door adjoining their offices without actually coming inside.

"What the hell is this?" She held the magazine out to Drew, anger still evident in her voice, though she wasn't yelling anymore.

"It's..." Drew took it and flipped to the cover without paying much attention to the article initially, "a gay rights magazine...or something? Taylor, you've got a meeting in 45 minutes, I'm sure this can wait..."

"Read the article." Taylor crossed her arms and stared at Drew. It was one thing when people wrote about her and her politics; it was another thing entirely when they started speculating about Abbie and her sex life. She was clenching her jaw, trying not to lose it completely.

Drew licked her lips as she flipped to the marked page. Immediately, the name under the title caught her attention--Cassidy _Blaine_\--and her cheeks turned a shade of dark red. She had absolutely been a sucker for a wide eyed brunette fucking reporter. "Shit," she muttered as she scanned the words, not really needing to see much more than "source close to Congresswoman Hamilton and Ms. Carmichael" and "special requests." "Christ, Taylor...I..." She shook her head, not even knowing where to start.

"You're the source, right? I don't need to be yelling at someone else?" She stood up and crossed her arms, wondering if Drew would try to pass the blame.

"No...no you don't need to be yelling at someone else," Drew said quietly as she clutched the magazine in her hands. "Taylor...I had no idea..."

"If you didn't know who she was, you shouldn't have told her _anything_." Taylor stalked behind her desk, keeping it between them. "You fucking lucky that you're not getting fired right now." Had Drew tried to obfuscate, she probably would have been. "And if it happens again, you will be. I don't ever, _ever_ want to see any sort of speculation about my sex life in print ever again, do you understand me?"

"Perfectly," Drew replied as she took a step back. She wanted to try to explain, to tell Taylor what exactly happened. But somehow 'I was drunk, got carried away, and have a thing for you and Abbie' didn't seem like it would really do any good. "I...I apologize, Taylor. It won't happen again. You have my word."

"Good." Taylor was still mad, but continuing to yell at Drew wasn't going to change the situation. "Now get back to work."

*****

Abbie sat on the bed in the hotel room, watching Taylor pace, her words still tense though she had moved on from Drew. Abbie had read the article, someone having slipped her a copy between meetings with various people at the Justice Department on an investigation. Admittedly, she'd been shocked to see her personal life written about so blatantly, but after she'd had the afternoon to think it over she was starting to let it go. It hadn't been an unflattering portrayal after all. "Taylor..." Abbie tried to stop her partner's rant against a congressman from Delaware that was clearly pointless, "Taylor...I think you're overreacting." And if this was the aftermath, Abbie didn't want to think of the storm Taylor must have been in the office earlier.

"What?" Taylor barely heard whatever Abbie had said to her. She stopped her pacing and turned though. Abbie wouldn't take kindly to being ignored

"I said," Abbie tried to keep her voice as level as she could, "You're overrating."

"He was being a jackass." Taylor shook her head, agitated still. "Just because you're a Congressman doesn't mean you can get away with that sort of shit."

"I'm not talking about that, and you know it." Abbie wouldn't let Taylor evade the real issue.

"Fine. It was a bullshit article and it never should have be published." Taylor knew it wasn't realistic, but it she was still angry. "And Drew never should have given her the damned quote."

Abbie could see Taylor was more than angry enough for the both of them, so she tried to soften the mood. She hoped Taylor hadn't hurt her relationship with Drew too much, no matter if the girl was at fault or not. Aside from this, Drew had been nearly flawless in her dedication and Abbie knew Taylor needed her. "It was, and no she shouldn't have, but you know she didn't mean for this to happen."

"It doesn't matter if she didn't _mean_ for it to happen, it _did_ and it was her fault." Taylor was pacing again. "I was _so_ close to firing her." She shook her head. She might be angry, but she wasn't going to act that rashly.

Abbie's voice got a little quieter, and she slid back on the bed. Taylor's upset was likely just as much out of guilt for jumping on Drew at this point, "No you weren't, and I think you should probably apologize Taylor."

"What I am apologizing for?" Taylor couldn't believe that Abbie would even suggest it.

"For going off on Drew as if she'd sold your social security number and genetic code to the tabloids if I know you well enough." Abbie watched Taylor slowly stop pacing, "And all over an article that called you a 'rising figure in American politics', and described me as 'stunning and successful'." Abbie smiled just a little...she might have read that part more than once that afternoon. "And that's all I remember." Abbie caught Taylor's gaze, letting her concession to life's mishaps clearly underlie her humor.

Taylor pursed her lips, but she sighed. "I suppose so." She wasn't really ready to concede yet, but there was no point in bitching to Abbie about it all night. She thought her reprimand of Drew was perfectly reasonable, but Abbie hadn't been there to see it. She would say something the next day, though it probably wouldn't be an outright apology.

Abbie looked skeptical, but started getting ready for bed anyway. "I'm serious Taylor, don't lose her over this."

"I don't have any intention of losing her." Taylor shook her head as she headed into the bathroom. Now that most of her anger was spent, she was getting tired.

"Mmhmm.." Abbie wasn't quite convinced, and eyed Taylor as she came back into the room. The blonde's anger burned too hot to just dissipate like that, and she was going to have to get used to things like this now. They were, after all, far from the usual if there even was one in this town.

Abbie rolled over as Taylor joined her, but halted the hand that was starting to roam over her stomach, "Promise me Taylor, or you might just be sleeping alone." It was only half a joke- but it was sure to get Taylor's attention.

Taylor rolled her eyes, but she knew that if Abbie felt like it, she could easily go back to New York. "I promise." She smiled as she said it and then turned the light off. "Now, can we go to sleep?"

*****

Drew ran her fingers through her hair when she heard Taylor coming towards her office. She'd been there early, made sure coffee was on. And she'd taken some time that weekend to come in to get some things done, but now she was organizing Taylor's desk. She hoped she wasn't going to get it for that as well. But all in all, she probably deserved it, and if she ever saw that reporter again... Drew shook her head. No point in crying over spilt milk, and it could have been so much worse. But she was done with one night stands for a while.

Taylor was surprised when she stepped into her office and Drew was standing there, rearranging her desk. It wasn't odd that Drew would get there before her, she often did, but normally she stuck to her own office. "Good morning."

"Hi...I was just getting some things ready for the day," Drew said. She took a short breath, fishing for something else...maybe another apology. She and Taylor worked well together, and she didn't want to have that be completely fucked up for the rest of the term. "Well...there's fresh coffee," she managed.

"Thanks." Taylor headed toward the coffee pot, leaving her office door open as she did, and poured herself a cup. "I..." Taylor took a deep breath, "I might have over reacted a bit last Friday."

Drew was heading for her own office, but she stopped in her tracks. "Oh..." She licked her lips lightly and considered her word. "I really don't want to get fired, but...I don't blame you. I'm sorry."

"Well, good." Taylor nodded. "Let's just move on then." She sipped her coffee. "And if Abbie asks, tell her that you've been duly apologized to."

"Right...sure..." Drew answered before even taking time to think about it. "That sounds good. You have a meeting in fifteen..." When she got back into her office, she took a deep breath. Then, she began to laugh softly. Drew hadn't expected any sort of apology, and she could only imagine what Abbie had had to say about it. She was so relieved to just put it behind her though, that she almost laughed. It was true...Abbie did have some unconventional requests.


	6. Persuasive

Abbie pushed open the door to Taylor's new office. She hadn't been there since her partner had really made the place hers. Now it had the touches, additions that made it unmistakably Taylor's, and it made Abbie smile. She had a finally finished with a meeting with the project leaders on her assignment, and was hoping to catch Taylor with a minute or two to spare.

It just seemed like they'd been too busy lately for much more than a phone call or two and falling into bed already half-asleep. Her smile broadened when she saw Taylor sitting behind her desk, clearly busy as always, but relaxed as well, like she was handling whatever the day handed her. It wasn't a look many could manage, and it made Abbie's stomach drop pleasantly. The blonde looked up, and Abbie nodded. "Do you have a minute...Representative Hamilton?" God, she loved saying that, and Taylor knew it.

Taylor put her pen down as she looked up at Abbie, a smile on her face. "You know, I think I might. Why don't you close the door and come over here and give me a kiss?" She quickly checked her watch and saw that it was, indeed, the end of the day. She didn't quite know how that had happened. "Just let me get rid of everyone else first." She picked up her phone and did just that, telling her secretary to send everyone home for the day.

Abbie blushed lightly, and couldn't help but take her time crossing the room. "I'm glad, I've missed you." She knew Taylor was watching her, that she was wearing one of the blonde's favorite suits, one that she couldn't help but comment on usually, and it made it worth the momentary wait. Soon enough though, she was pulling Taylor up gently out of her chair and kissing her. "Mmm...have you been busy today?"

"I think it will be far more remarkable when I manage to have a day that isn't busy." Taylor pushed Abbie against the desk, using her legs to frame Abbie's and pinning her there. "I've missed you." She cupped Abbie's face and kissed her again. "I'm sorry that I haven't really been around much lately."

The brunette let out a long breath, nearly melting under Taylor's touch. "I've missed you too, and we've both been busy." She realized then just how long it had been since they'd stolen a quiet moment, and she closed her eyes as the blonde kissed her again, slower this time, and the brunette found herself wrapping her fingers around the edge of the desk, not ready to let the moment go.

"How long has it been?" Taylor murmured against Abbie's throat as she slowly kissed her way up it and back to her lips once again. She thought that she could spend the entire night standing there, just kissing Abbie, exploring every millimeter of her lips and every corner of her mouth.

Abbie moaned lightly, tilting her head back to allow Taylor to continue while she thought, "God...too long...since the night I got here..." And that had been well over a week. She shifted quietly, pressing her legs together, the realization making her want already.

"You know, it would probably be incredibly unprofessional for us to do anything here..." But Taylor didn't stop kissing Abbie's neck, working around to an ear and sucking on one of Abbie's earlobe as she started unbuttoning her blazer.

Abbie wasn't sure she could take much teasing in her current state, and Taylor's sure tone was already having its effect. She felt the smooth desk behind her, reminding her just where they were, and the thought did nothing to slow her rising pulse. Taylor seemed to be moving painfully slowly, and Abbie groaned, "Taylor...yes....it would." But the blonde surely wasn't moving away, and Abbie wasn't stopping her.

"But I doubt that we would be the first people to have sex in this office." Taylor skimmed her fingertips over Abbie's stomach through the thin, silk shell she was wearing. "And I really don't want to stop long enough to get back to the hotel."

Abbie's mouth felt dry, and she whimpered, trying to press into Taylor's touch. At the way the other woman was looking at her she felt her nipples grow painfully hard, straining against the fabric of her bra, and she knew she was getting wet. "No, please don't stop. I don't want to go anywhere." Abbie leaned in and kissed Taylor again, not pulling away far when the kiss broke.

"Don't worry. We're not going anywhere, sugar." Taylor pressed her thumbed into Abbie's nipples, circling them, scratching over them with her nails. "We're not going anywhere until you come for me." She pressed even closer to Abbie, tilting her hips forward to rub against Abbie.

Her breath breath hitched, and she looked into Taylor's eyes, unable to glance away even for a moment, the intensity was just too great. The brunette moaned lightly, "Taylor...."

"What do you want?" Taylor held Abbie's eyes, feeling a shiver run through the other woman. "Tell me what you want, baby." She kept running her thumb nails over Abbie's nipples, her own breathing shallow as she waited for Abbie to start talking.

"Ohhh..." Abbie moaned again, the touch far, far too light for any satisfaction, but that was exactly the point. She tried to control her words, thoughts, but Taylor already knew what her question would elicit. "I want to be yours...yours in every way." She gripped the solid wood behind her, almost rocking slightly with Taylor's breath, pressing against her fingers.

"Why?" Taylor bit down on Abbie's hairline behind her ear, sucking until she left a mark. "Tell me why you want to be mine, Abbie."

"God Taylor..." She could imagine the mark the blonde was making in her mind. Abbie knew Taylor was claiming her, and it made her knees weak, "Because you're so strong, and amazingly beautiful." She groaned and closed her eyes, "And you can fuck me like no one ever has before."

"But I'm not fucking you right now, am I?" Taylor licked over the mark, pulling a hand away from Abbie's breasts to scratch her nails against it. "I'm barely touching you at all."

Abbie's voice had nearly faded out, and she caught Taylor's stare again. "No Taylor.." But she was, she really was, and Abbie's body knew better than her mind.

"How wet are you, my pretty girl? Taylor rocked forward and wrapped a hand around the back of Abbie's neck. "How wet am I making you right now?"

"So wet Taylor, you're making me so wet." Her panties were nearly soaked through, and she pressed her legs together to try and find some relief.

"Wet enough to have to get that skirt dry cleaned before you'll be able to wear it again?" She pulled Abbie closer, wrapping her other arm around her waist. "You don't have any shame, do you?"

"Yes...wet enough..." Abbie was whimpering, feeling herself start to lose the last shreds of control, giving them over to Taylor. She moaned, only managing to finish the answer almost silently, "And no...none...God Taylor please..."

"That's it, baby." Taylor tightened her grip in Abbie's hair, tightened her grip Abbie's waist. "I want to watch you come. I want to watch you come right here, in my office, pinned against my desk, just from listening to my voice." She pushed her hips forward one more time. "I think you can do that for me. I think you're just that shameless."

"Yes....fuck....yes Taylor...I am..." Abbie's voice faded out to a long whimper, and she arched back into the blonde's hands, panting and moaning at the sudden sensation, the realization. The brunette pitched forward against Taylor and shuddered violently, legs clenching together as she came hard, rocking just slightly, pinned between the desk and the other woman's body.

Abbie's hands finally moved to wrap around the blonde, face buried in her neck. She had been restraining herself with such force that her fingers ached, but the rest of her felt so good, so satisfied.

"Good girl." Taylor soothingly ran her fingers through Abbie's hair, keeping her close, though her grip wasn't as tight. She was almost as desperate to come as Abbie had been, but she didn't have time to make Abbie do anything about it right then. "I love you so much," she kissed Abbie lightly to punctuate her words, "But I have to go. I'm supposed to be meeting Congressman Davis for drink to talk about an amendment he wants to add to the green energy bill." The meeting was the last place that she wanted to be, but it was also the only time that she and Davis could meet before he flew back to Nebraska.

Abbie was still recovering, tracing her fingers lightly over Taylor's shoulders as she caught her breath. The brunette looked at her partner and smiled, shaking her head, "Of course." She slipped off the desk, and tugged at the blonde's suit, pretending to straighten it. "You shouldn't be late then." Abbie smirked, and watched Taylor's demeanor shift back to work, secretly loving she was the only one to get to see the transition, "I'll see you at the hotel soon?"

"It shouldn't be more than 45 minutes, an hour at the most." Taylor cupped Abbie's face and kissed her gently. "There's a present for you in the back of the closet. If you wanted to be wearing it when I got home..." She had planned on taking it back to New York with her before she found out that Abbie was coming to DC, and this seemed like the perfect night for it. She didn't know how she was going to get the smug look off of her face long enough for the meeting, and she thought that maybe she wouldn't bother trying. Rory could think whatever the hell he wanted to about it.


	7. Illicit

Drew heard Abbie go into Taylor's office. That woman's voice was unmistakable, and Drew's door was cracked slightly. She finished the emails she had been working on and began to arrange her desk with her mind already on the next day, but she didn't think much of the Congresswoman's wife in the next room.

"Mmm...have you been busy today?" Drew heard Abbie say. She knew exactly what the timbre of that voice meant, and she smiled to herself as she shook her head. Abbie could be incorrigible, especially when she got an idea in her head.

She couldn't hear Taylor's response, but Drew realized that she was listening for it. She wasn't really listening, at least, until she heard a thud, a rattle, as if Abbie had been pushed against the desk. While she had never been witness to them doing anything untoward in Taylor's campaign office, she'd been the one to deal with any evidence they might have missed afterwards—a desk that was a little too messy, a sticky spot or two that they might have missed.

"I've missed you too, and we've both been busy." As she listened, Drew went to her door, peaking through to find that her guess had been right, that Abbie was curling her fingers around the edge of the desk as her color rose.

She watched Taylor murmur something against Abbie's throat as she slowly kissed her way up it and back to her lips once again. And Drew found herself licking her own lips. She needed to get her things together and go home. But she couldn't, not when she heard Abbie moan as she tilted her head back. That's exactly what she would think Abbie's moan would sound like, but there, then…it was so unbelievably real.

"God…too long...since the night I got here..."

"You know, it would probably be incredibly unprofessional for us to do anything here..." It had been over a week since they'd seen each other, and Drew was absolutely willing to bet that they would be doing something there, no matter how unprofessional it would be. It might not ever happen again, but that night, they weren't leaving just yet.

"Taylor...yes...it would." The hitch in Abbie's voice was something Drew had most definitely not heard before, and she felt her own breath catch in her throat. She didn't hear what Taylor murmured in response, but Drew could see the sure, soft way the blonde touched Abbie. She gripped the doorframe, steadying herself, knowing she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, especially when Abbie whimpered.

"No, please don't stop. I don't want to go anywhere." Abbie leaned in and kissed Taylor again, and Drew covered her mouth so as not to moan.

"…going anywhere until you come for me." Drew's mouth was dry as she watched Taylor touching Abbie's nipples and she found that her own nipples were uncomfortably hard.

"Taylor...." Drew kept her fingers over her own lips, listening to Abbie moan as Taylor touched her, feeling herself just get wetter for watching, waiting, enjoying their moment.

"What do you want?" Taylor's voice was stronger, and Drew bit down on her own fist. "Tell me what you want, baby."

"Ohhh..." Abbie moaned again. "I want to be yours...yours in every way." Any fantasy that Drew might have even hinted, though of having, was absolutely playing out right in front of her. Her eyes were wide, and she pressed her legs together, allowing herself minimal stimulation in order to prolong her own longing, to keep watching. Any nagging feeling that she shouldn't be there, she passed off. They were fucking in the Congresswoman's office; it served them right that someone watch. And if it had to be someone, it was safest for it to be her.

"Why?" Taylor bit down behind Abbie's ear, and Drew knew it might leave a mark the next day. It was good that it wasn't the other way around. She didn't want to have to send interns out for scarves. "Tell me why you want to be mine, Abbie."

"God Taylor... Because you're so strong, and amazingly beautiful." She groaned, and Drew shifted, letting Abbie's noise cover the faint sounds of her movements. "And you can fuck me like no one ever has before."

Drew couldn't hear what Taylor was saying, and she strained to catch the words. She almost couldn't hear Abbie's breathy response over her own heartbeat.

"No Taylor.."

"How wet are you, my pretty girl? How wet am I making you right now?" As Taylor grabbed Abbie's neck, Drew touched her own, shivering at just how sensitive she was. She wondered if that spot was as much of a turn on for Abbie as it was for her.

"So wet Taylor, you're making me so wet." It took all of Drew's control to swallow her own moan. She wondered if Abbie was as wet as she was—probably wetter.

"Wet enough…" But Taylor's words were muffled as she pulled Abbie closer, and Drew held her breath to hear the rest. "You don't have any shame, do you?"

"Yes...wet enough..." Abbie was whimpering, which quickly turned into full moans. Drew let herself sink to her knees. She could still see them, she could still hear them, and she would have given anything for them to know she was there, if only so she could watch more fully. She ran her fingers through her own hair, pulling it like Taylor was pulling Abbie's, imagining. "And no...none...God Taylor please..."

"That's it, baby. I want to watch you come. I want to watch you come right here, in my office, pinned against my desk, just from listening to my voice. I think you can do that for me. I think you're just that shameless."

"Yes....fuck....yes Taylor...I am..."

Drew gaped, watching Abbie squirm and throw her head back, panting and wanton. Taylor hadn't touched her—nothing more than soft, negligible touches, at least. She hadn't touched her, and yet Abbie was pitching forward, coming hard. And Drew was aching with her own desire to come. But she was just as shameless as Abbie, in her own way at least, and she pressed her fingers down the font of her pants, pushing to her clit to fondle it roughly.

"Good girl." Taylor was rubbing her fingers through Abbie's hair, but Drew's vision was blurry. She was coming slowly, her muscles contracting and releasing and her breath catching. She didn't hear what they were saying to each other until the last of what Taylor was saying hit her.

"But I have to go. I'm supposed to be meeting Congressman Davis for drink to talk about an amendment he wants to add to the green energy bill."

Drew blinked hard, trying to snap herself out of it. She yanked her hand up and tried to stand as quietly as possible. Taylor would know she was still there, and she would want to see her before the meeting. She smoothed her hair and hurried over to her desk, trying to focus on something other than what she just saw. But she could hear Abbie's moans ringing in her ears, and that sound made her smirk as she took a moment to lick her own fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that Drew has seen Abbie and Taylor, what does she do? Can things really go back to normal?
> 
> [Realities](http://archiveofourown.org/works/100864?view_full_work=true) (NC-17). See how Drew copes.
> 
> Note: We recommend reading Realities before moving to the next chapter.


	8. Interlude

"Taylor," Cammie said as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, "now you're just being unreasonable." She knew she should have checked her tone. She sounded like a schoolteacher, and she was pretty sure Taylor wouldn't appreciate it, especially with her door left cracked open by the intern that had brought them coffee. The end of the meeting was long overdue, and they were past the point of anger, but it was clear that they were not to the point of any sort of resolution on some of the language. And as much as Cammie didn't mind looking at the congresswoman from New York for a little while longer, she knew it couldn't last much longer.

Taylor sighed and rubbed her forehead. "If I'm being unreasonable, you are too." She shook her head. "It's two percent. You can give up two percent. If you want any other Democrat to support it, you've got to give up _something._" She tossed her pen down and scrubbed her face.

"No, don't start with that again," Cammie said as she stood. She paced in front of Taylor's desk and glanced out to see that the office was starting to empty. So much for an early dinner. "You got," she said, flourishing her hand, "the thing...it's what you said the democrats wanted. If you want republican support on this, you're not getting the two percent. Sorry." She finally stopped, crossing her arms firmly even though she wasn't sorry at all.

Abbie sidled over to Drew's desk, smiling when the young redhead's eyes snapped up from her computer screen. She pointed questioningly to the half open door to Taylor's office, almost amused when she heard voices being raised. Drew answered her question before Abbie had a chance to ask, "Representative Jackson." "Ahh.." Abbie nodded- she'd heard more than enough about this woman from Taylor in the evenings. "Can I?" She pointed to the door again. Drew shrugged. "Enter at your own risk, they've been at it over an hour." It was late anyway and it was clear nothing was getting resolved.

Abbie put a hand on Drew's shoulder as she passed. "Thanks, hon—go home, I'm giving you official permission." She smirked and pushed open the door slowly, if Taylor wanted her to leave, she would say so.

Taylor looked up sharply, expecting to see Drew. Her expression softened when she saw who it actually was. "Abbie," she sighed and some of the tension in her shoulder immediately lessened. "I didn't realize it had gotten that late. This is Camille Jackson. Cammie, this is my partner, Abbie Carmichael."

When she saw Taylor's expression change, Cammie turned. She had to swallow in order to make sure that she closed her mouth. "Ms Carmichael, it's a pleasure," she said, pulling herself together enough to offer her hand. Abbie stood more than a head higher than her, and something about the pictures hadn't prepared Cammie for that. Suddenly, she was incredibly envious of Taylor's reasons for wanting to end the meeting on time. "I was just trying to convince your partner that her liberal agenda was getting a little too greedy," she said, obviously teasing.

Abbie smiled. "Well, that'll be a hard sell, but I hope she's not keeping you from your night with her stubbornness though." That Taylor seemed not to mind the interruption told Abbie they were ready to call it a night. She stepped over and kissed Taylor lightly on the cheek. The brunette laughed quietly. "Go on then Taylor, give the woman what she wants so we can keep our dinner plans."

Taylor pursed her lips and just shook her head again. "We'll talk about it later," she said to Cammie. "I'm not making any promises while Abbie's trying to coerce me."

A smile spread across Cammie's face, and she hoped her cheeks weren't turning pink with the run of thoughts she had at that. "I can't see any reason why you wouldn't." She chuckled lightly and picked up her bag. "I won't keep you any longer, though." She looked to Abbie. "And don't blame me...blame Taylor's unyielding devotion to her party."

Abbie smiled and rolled her eyes, "As always. Nice to meet you Ms Jackson." Despite Taylor's familiarity, Abbie couldn't completely let go of the pleasantries. She hadn't missed that not-so-subtle light in the woman's eyes, and did her best not to show it. Once Cammie closed the door behind her, however, Abbie rounded on Taylor, grinning, "she has a bit of a crush on you, you know." Her tone was teasing- jealousy far from her mind.

"She doesn't have a crush on me. She wants to bludgeon me to death. There's a difference." Taylor smiled and started packing up her things, looking forward to dinner.

"Sure Taylor, sure." Abbie crossed her arms, "And I've got some great beachfront in Arizona to sell ya'. Really though," Abbie leaned on the edge of the desk, "Have you asked her exactly what is the zip code for Narnia?"

Taylor chuckled. "I'll ask whenever we get back together again." Taylor ushered Abbie out of her office and closed the door. "But right now, I'm more concerned about where you want to get dinner." She had no trouble believing that Cammie was gay, but that wasn't the same thing as having a crush on her.

"Some place that has both good fries, and tablecloths." Abbie grinned, content with the little challenge for Taylor. She threaded her fingers through her partner's, and started to relax as they walked to the elevators. The brunette sighed, and though she knew next to nothing about Cammie, silently hoped she would have the strength to face reality, to be happy. There was far too little of it in the world as far as Abbie was concerned. "You should talk to her sometime Taylor," her voice was quieter, "and I don't mean just about policy."

Sighing, Taylor squeezed Abbie's fingers, but she shook her head. "I'm not her camp counselor. She's an adult and if this is how she wants to live, then I don't know what I could say that would help." And part of her understood Cammie's choices, her sacrifices. "There's a French place that isn't too far. Table cloths and good fries, if you don't think it'll be too heavy."

"I didn't ask you to be her counselor, I just asked you to be her friend." Abbie wasn't arguing, just telling Taylor what she already knew. "French is perfect." By the time the elevator doors opened, Abbie had let it go, and leaned in to kiss Taylor's cheek, "It's a nice night out, we should get a table outside."

"Yeah, we should." Taylor let the topic drop, knowing that Abbie was right. She was already trying to figure out how to bring the topic up, though when she would find the time she wasn't sure.


	9. Setup

_The adjoining door to Taylor's office flew open, as if it had given way under an extreme amount of pressure. Taylor stumbled backward dragging Abbie back with her until her legs hit the edge of Drew's desk. She pushed the knickknacks and papers aside as she climbed on top of it, ignoring the open door to the outer office, ignoring Drew, ignoring everything but Abbie. She was trying to pull Abbie's skirt up, trying to pull Abbie on top of her. "I just..." her chest heaved, "I had to vote with my heart and my conscious, even if it means I won't get re-elected. I couldn't let America's farmers—the backbone of this country—go without government aid. We have to stand behind them; we have to save this country through it's people, one well insured crop at a time!"_

Abbie nearly leapt onto the desk, tearing Taylor's shirt off, "Oh God Taylor yes!" She bit down on the blonde's neck, leaving a mark, "You'll get re-elected...because you're my Congresswoman," her voice was a growl, "and you're fixing this country...God...and you're making me so wet.."

"Fuck, baby." Taylor finally got her hand under Abbie's skirt, reveling the tops of her stockings and the bottom of her garter belt, a garter belt that she obviously wasn't wearing panties under, and she pushed her fingers into her. "You are wet. Does it make you wet when I save the country?"

Abbie moaned, and shifted up to allow Taylor better access. "Yes! Yes it does!" She threw her head back, "Tell me....tell me Congresswoman..!"

"Come for me Abbie." Taylor bit Abbie's neck, sucking on it until the mark was obvious. "You can do it. We can do it." She pushed her fingers further into Abbie, moaning as she had to curl her fingers forward to get her knuckles to go in. She grabbed Abbie's earlobe with her teeth and whispered, "Yes we can," in Abbie's ear. "Say it Abbie. Say it as you come for me."

Abbie groaned, so wanting, but still defiant, "No! I won't...not the liberal slogans..." But she couldn't last much longer, rocking as Taylor pushed against her.

"Say it or I'll stop." But Taylor didn't. She couldn't even think of stopping. She wanted Abbie to come. "Say it!"

"Shit...don't stop!" Abbie closed her eyes, the persuasion too strong..."Yes..." She choked, "Yes we..."

Taylor waved a hand in front of Drew's face, trying to catch the other woman's attention. "Drew? Earth to Drew? Are you in there?" She knocked on Drew's desk and tried not to laugh as Drew jumped in her chair.

"Shit...God...sorry..." Drew's heart was racing, and she immediately stood to clean up her desk, which was still the pristine organized mess it always was. She blinked, trying to get the image out of her head and the sound out of her ears. Her laptop had gone to sleep, and she knew precisely how long that took. She blushed lightly. "Sorry...I've...yeah, I guess I was having a moment."

"Mmhm." Drew looked at her skeptically. "I think maybe you've been working too hard. In fact, I know you've been working too hard." Taylor shook her head and propped her hip against Drew's desk.

"Uhm..." Drew swallowed as she sat back down. She tried to keep her eyes focused on Taylor's face. And she silently pinched her leg under her desk. This...was getting ridiculous. "It's my job..."

"Even I take the weekend off every once and a while." Taylor smiled as she pulled a card out her pocket. "I've made you dinner reservations. So, you've got half an hour to get there or they'll give your table away and the pretty girl that's waiting for you is going to be very upset with both me and you." She held the card out for Drew to take.

The redhead took it, almost dreading what address she would find on it. She didn't take her eyes of Taylor as she swallowed. "This...really isn't necessary. I've got a ton of things to do tonight." And she was surely still dreaming. Absolutely still dreaming. Taylor didn't have time for things like this...or the inclination.

"Drew," Taylor closed the lid on Drew's laptop. "I don't like it when pretty girls are upset with me. Go to dinner, and take the rest of the weekend off. If I see you here on Saturday, I'm going to fire you." Never mind that she had her own work to be doing that Saturday, which was why Abbie was going to be showing up in the office sometime soon.

"Oh my God, you're...actually trying to set me up on a date." Drew stood and smoothed her skirt. "Taylor, really, I don't have time for this kind of thing." And she'd be lying if she said she hadn't hoped to still be working when Abbie showed up.

"Yes, which you now have 25 minutes to get to if you want to be on time." Taylor wasn't about to be persuaded that Drew didn't need to get out of the office. "It's just dinner, and you have to eat. Go be sociable." Taylor straightened when she head Abbie's unmistakable footsteps in the hallway, and she imagined that she could just smell her perfume. "Don't make me get Abbie on you about it."

"No..." Drew shouldered her bag as she heard Abbie call for Taylor, as the secretary was gone for the day. "I'd hate to take away from your time together. But...just know that I do this under duress...I'm perfectly capable of finding my own dates, you know. NO need to threaten me with my job." She smiled and switched off the lamp above her desk. "She's in here," Drew called, waving to Abbie through the half open door as she nodded to Taylor and made her way out.

"Whatever it takes." Taylor followed Drew out of the office and wrapped an arm around Abbie's waist, kissing her as soon as the, "hey babe," was past her lips. She watched Drew leave as Abbie asked her about the day's vote and laughed as Abbie said she was saving the country one bicycle path at a time. Still, she couldn't stop worrying about Drew. She had been getting more and more distracted lately and Taylor hoped that a few days out of the office might help her get her head on straight.

When Drew arrived, she was shown immediately to a table--a nicer one than she could have gotten on her own, but she didn't really care about things like that unless it mattered for work in some way. She'd hoped, because she was running a few minutes late, that she would find an empty chair and an apology waiting or her, but she was so wrong. "Hi, sorry...work and traffic... I'm Drew," she said as she sat and offered her hand.

"Lynn. It's nice to meet you." Lynn didn't bother to hide the fact that she was looking Drew over. The congresswoman had done a good job describing her chief of staff and she wondered what that meant for her father's bill. There was a reason that she was a cop and not a politician, though.

"You too." One looked and Drew knew the woman wasn't a politician. She had a sense about these things. She was attractive enough, but there were no immediate sparks for Drew. She hated first dates. Actually, she hated dates in general. "So...what's good here?" she asked casually as she picked up the menu.

"I don't really know. I've never been here before." Really, the entire thing had been Taylor's idea, but she had looked over the menu while she had waited for Drew. "The mussels sound good, if you like mussels..." She smiled and she knew it was awkward but she didn't know how to change that.

"Uhm..." Drew made a face. She'd been eating chips and french fries and whatever salad she could find quickly for the past month. It wasn't the healthiest, but time to enjoy a meal was scarce. "So...how do you know Taylor...er, the Congresswoman?"

"My dad's Congressman Earl. Taylor came to his holiday party and we met there." Drew clearly wasn't a fan of mussels and Lynn wondered if that somehow meant that the date was already over. She shifted her gun a little further to the side. It was a nervous habit.

"FBI? DCPD?' Drew put down her menu, deciding on soup and a salad. She saw no reason not to be direct, and she should have known that the only available women Taylor would know would be daughter's of her colleagues.

"FBI." Lynn tried to smile, but it was tight. She was much better with suspects and people who were already dead. She knew how to deal with them. "No, the X-files aren't real and I only wish I got to work with someone as hot as Bones."

"I...don't know what that means, but okay," Drew responded as the waiter finally appeared. She placed her order and waited for Lynn to do the same. And she ran about a thousand simulations of how the night might go in her mind. She told herself again that Lynn was attractive, but there just wasn't anything...vaguely superhuman about her.

"Right." Clearly jokes just weren't going to work. She sipped her wine and tried to come up with something to say, but she was drawing a blank. So she just smiled awkwardly, again, and hoped that Drew would come up with something while they waited for their food. As attractive as Drew was, this date was quickly turning disastrous and it didn't seem like there was anything that she could do about it.

"That woman at the bar has been staring at you this entire time, and I'm pretty sure she'd like my salad just as much as I would. Why don't I just slip out and you can invite her over?" Drew pursed her lips and got her bag. She hoped Lynn wouldn't take offense and call Taylor directly.

Lynn blinked at the suddenness as Drew stood. "Um, okay." She shook her head and stood up as well. She had to admit that not having to suffer through dinner with Drew was a bit of a relief. "You know, there's a pretty good bar across the street, if you aren't interested in going home yet. Just..." she shrugged, "a tip, since you wasted your time coming down here."

"You didn't...seriously." Drew smiled and offered her hand again. "I'm sorry Taylor wasted yours, but I think you'll have better luck with her," she said nodding to the woman at the bar. "Have a good night, Lynn. Nice meeting you." She bit her lip lightly before turning on her heel, her steps taking her to the bar across the street. She needed a drink anyway, and Taylor was probably still at the office...doing God only knew what with Abbie.

Cammie looked up from her spot at the bar when the door opened and nearly groaned when she saw Taylor's chief of staff walk in. That was really, really bad luck and she tilted her hat further forward, hoping that Drew wouldn't look too closely and that she could just sneak out in a few minutes.

It was dark and pretty loud, and Drew instantly liked the place. It reminded her a little bit of home, and it promised a good night without the hassle of what exactly to do the next morning. She got a drink and leaned back against the bar, scanning the room. That's when she caught the hat. It was completely out of place even in the dark, and as she recognized just who was underneath it, she wanted to grin. Instead, she kept a straight face as she sauntered over. "A favorite spot of yours, Congresswoman?"

Cammie glared at Drew and motioned for the bartender to close out her tab. "It was, but suddenly it's feeling a little claustrophobic." There were unspoken rules and Drew had just broken all of them. She looked around the room, hoping that no one had been close enough to overhear and that no one cared enough to take a second look.

"Relax, no one here cares who you are, and it's too dark for anyone but me to really notice." Drew sat beside her and smirked. This could be worth a fortune in scandal, but she sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to start that. She did, however, like having the knowledge to keep to herself. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Is it?" There was no way that she would get re-elected if anyone found out about just who she liked to share her bed with. It wasn't like she ever left the bar with anyone, and the owner just happened to have been born in Cheyenne, so she had plausible deniability if anyone ever caught her there, but she had already made the mistake of letting Drew know that she had a secret , and really, in a bar full of women, it could only be one thing. She briefly wondered if she could find a way to get Taylor to fire Drew, but she dismissed that as needlessly petty. "For how long? Until you need my vote for something?" That was normally how the game worked.

"Depends on how important the vote is," Drew replied, shrugging easily. She sipped her drink and looked the congresswoman over, noting that she had never really noticed just what nice legs she had. This, she was sure, wasn't what Taylor had in mind.

Clearly, trying to get Drew fired wasn't too petty. "Fuck you." Cammie signed her tab and grabbed her purse, more than ready to go home for the night. She got up and headed toward the door.

"Cammie..." Drew grabbed her arm and wiped the grin off of her face. This was the woman's career, she realized she shouldn't have joked that way. "I'm sorry...really. Your personal life is your business, and I wouldn't use it like that..."

"Right." Cammie pulled her arm from Drew's grasp. There wasn't any reason that she should trust Drew, and she didn't. "And it's Congresswoman, or Ms. Jackson. Only my friends get to call me Cammie. Have a good night, Drew."

"I figured you didn't really want me calling you either of those in here again," Drew quipped. "Look...just...let me buy you a drink. Really...no strings. I've been kicked out of my office for the weekend and ordered to stay away under the threat of being fired. Just a drink..."

Cammie looked at Drew skeptically. "You can call me Camille then." She slid back onto a barstool and motioned for the bartender to get her another.

"Excellent." It was a start. Drew wasn't sure what she was starting, but the congresswoman's attractiveness was undeniable. And it was _incredibly_ interesting to find that she wasn't as straight as a pin. "You can call me Drew...I'm pretty sure everyone else does."

"So, Taylor threatened to fire you?" Cammie crossed her legs and looked directly at Drew.

Drew looked directly at Cammie's legs before running her fingers through her short hair. "She thinks I've been working too hard...as if there's such a thing in this town." She scoffed.

"My eyes are up here." Cammie put a finger under Drew's chin and lifted it up. She wasn't there to be ogled by, well, anyone. "And everyone needs to take a little time off." That was why she went back to Wyoming as often as possible. There was something about spending time with her horses that cleared her head.

As Drew looked up, she met Cammie's gaze with a new interest, and she shifted closer to the women. Camille Jackson wasn't exactly Taylor Hamilton, but Drew wasn't in love with Taylor...and she wasn't going to spend the rest of her life measuring women by her and Abbie. "The people who keep your office running and Taylor's office running and every other office here don't take much time off."

"Neither do they work all day, every day." Cammie leaned back. "There's nothing wrong with taking a little time off if it means that you can focus better when you're done. I own a ranch in Wyoming. I _know_ what it means to have to work all day, every day."

"That's...fascinating," Drew said as she called for another drink. "So...is this how you relax then?" She smirked. Drew never could resist the urge to push.

"Sometimes." Cammie narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out just how serious Drew was about flirting with her. "It isn't exactly relaxing when I get ambushed though." She looked at Drew pointedly.

"And ambush would imply that I planned it." Drew leaned against the bar easily and smirked.

"Of course." Cammie shook her head and sipped her whisky. "I should have been more careful in my choice of words."

"I'd think you'd pay more attention to that in your line of work...especially in your situation." Drew knew that was likely to piss the congresswoman off, but she was willing to take the risk. She shifted closer, smirking.

"You're right, of course." Cammie licked her lips and then made the most impulsive decision she had made in years. She pulled a pen out of her inside pocket and started writing on a coaster. "Clearly, I need to get home and get some rest." She slid the coaster over to Drew as she got up. "Have a good night, Drew."

"You too...Camille." Drew fingered the coaster before glancing down at it. When she saw the neatly printed numbers, she began to chuckle, shaking her head. She knew exactly which hotel it was. Everyone knew where everyone else lived while in the District. But she ordered another drink, taking her time to finish it before she left. It wouldn't do to seem too eager. But after Taylor's interruption into her thoughts earlier, Drew had to admit that she wasn't too keen on spending the night alone.

Cammie let herself into her hotel room and turned the lights on as she stepped out of her shoes. She tried not to wonder if Drew was going to show up. She just followed her normal routine, getting undressed, trying not to feel self conscious at what she had always thought was a ridiculously lacy night gown. She pulled a robe on over it and turned on CNN.

Drew was smirking as she walked down the hall to the room. She realized she was doing it, and she knew it was a bad habit. But it couldn't hurt in an empty hallways in a hotel in DC. And the hallway was definitely empty; Drew had no doubt that Cammie wouldn't invite someone back during a busy time of day. And she had no doubt that she would be leaving before the morning. She shifted her bag on her shoulder as she knocked on the door.

Cammie opened the door, using it to block any view that a passerby might have. "Come in."

"Nice place," Drew murmured without looking around as she stepped in. She pushed the door closed and gently pressed Cammie into it, pausing, teasing for a moment before she kissed her soundly.

Cammie's breath caught in her throat as she returned the kiss, her hands automatically going to Drew's waist. It had been an incredibly long time since she had been in this position and she almost didn't know what to do with herself. "You don't waste time, do you?"

"I assumed you wouldn't appreciate it if I did...but..." Drew smirked as she ran her fingers through Cammie's curls. "No, in general, I don't."

Cammie leaned forward into Drew's touch. "I don't exactly do this often, so I'm not going to complain if we take our time." In fact, she could count on one hand the number of people that she had slept with, and she would have fingers left over.

Drew raised her eyebrows as she pulled away. "Well, all right," she said, turning into the room. She was already pulling off her shirt though. Drew was one of efficiency; she couldn't recall having ever really taken her time. Of course, she'd had more friends with benefits than girlfriends.

Cammie took a deep breath, trying to steady the shaking in her hands as she watched Drew get undressed. She was far, far more nervous than she had any right to be. It was just going to be a one night stand, after all, even if it was her first. "Yeah." She untied the belt on her robe and slid it off. "I guess asking you if you want a drink isn't necessary."

"One more might be one too many," Drew replied before turning around. Her smile softened somewhat when she saw the brunette's nightgown. It wasn't exactly racy. In fact, it was a little bit sweet, especially if she'd put it on while expecting Drew. So, Drew made the executive decision not to laugh lightly. "There's a woman underneath those suits," she said as she drew Cammie towards her.

Cammie sucked her lips into her mouth and bit the bottom one. She felt incredibly self conscious and it was hard to put her arms around Drew's neck, rather than wrapping them around herself. "Yeah, I guess there is." She leaned in kissed Drew lightly, hoping that there wouldn't be much more talking involved. She wasn't sure she could keep up any sort of banter and not embarrass herself.

"Is she under this nightgown too?" she whispered before kissing up Cammie's jaw and pressing their bodies together. Drew was thrown, but she tried not to let it interrupt the flow of the night. She expected something quick, rough. She expected it to be like clockwork.

"I guess so." She wanted to be more proactive, she wanted to do to Drew just what Drew was doing to her, to make her feel the same way, but she couldn't make herself move. It all just felt too good. "God, Drew."

"We should..." Cammie closed her eyes. Her knees felt weak and she had no idea how Drew might react to seeing her naked. "Bed... we should go to bed." And her bedroom was dark. Dark was good. She might be able to concentrate again if she couldn't see. Or be seen.

"There's a perfectly good sofa right there," Drew said as she walked Cammie back to it, gently pushing her until she toppled into a sitting position. Drew automatically dropped to her knees and parted the brunette's legs, kissing up them softly.

"Oh..." Suddenly she couldn't breathe. She couldn't even think. "Fuck." Her head hit the back of the couch and she grabbed the cushions, trying to steady herself, to find some sort of balance, but it didn't work.

"That's about right," Drew quipped as she pulled Cammie's panties down and quickly pressed her tongue between the brunette's legs. She moaned at the wetness, at the taste.

The barest touch of Drew's tongue was almost enough to make Cammie come and she arched up into Drew's mouth. She let go of the couch with one and bit her fist, trying not to moan. Every inch of her was tingling, and as Drew kept licking, she couldn't stop squirming. Her climax snuck up on her and she almost passed out as it rushed through her.

Drew almost thought she'd imagined the brevity of that, but when she looked up at Cammie, she knew it was actually true. She couldn't stop her smirk. "You okay?" she asked as she crawled up Cammie's body and settled by straddling her.

Cammie bit her lip and nodded, carefully resting her hands on Drew's thighs, only then realizing that drew still had her pants on. "Yeah. I'm fine." She slowly opened her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. She said she was fine, but everything seemed off, it seemed wrong, and she desperately wanted to be alone. "I'm sorry. This is incredibly unfair of me, but I need to ask you to leave." She couldn't look at Drew anymore.

"Oh...so is that how it works?" Drew said, flushing brightly with anger as she got of of Cammie's lap. She pursed her lip as she grabbed her shirt and pulled it on, not noticing that it was inside out. She grabbed her bag and glared over her shoulder at the congresswoman. "No reciprocity...in business or pleasure. I got it."

Cammie didn't bother to try to defend herself, she just pulled her knees up against her chest and stared at the wall, trying not to cry. This had been a bad idea. She should have known better.

Drew had already turned on her heel. She almost looked over her shoulder before opened the door, but she was done, and she was pissed. She slammed it behind her when she left, and her every intention was to go back to the office.


	10. Negotiations

Cammie opened the door to the conference room and stopped in her tracks when she saw Drew laying out binders. Drew looked up, then quickly went back to setting up and Cammie felt her face turn bright red. She had tried to find Drew a few hours after their last encounter, but the only place that she knew to look for her was Taylor's office, and she hadn't been there. Calling Taylor and asking for her address or phone number would have raised too many questions that she didn't want to answer and just dropping by Taylor's office, hoping to catch Drew alone hadn't worked either. But it seemed that fate or something was giving her another chance. With barely a nod, Cammie sent the aide that she had brought with her to get coffee, and she stepped into the room, locking the door behind herself. She really didn't want anyone walking in on this conversation. "Hey..." Of course, wanting to talk didn't mean that she knew where to start.

"Is there something I can help you with, Congresswoman?" There had been a few last minute additions to the binders. That's why Drew was putting them out herself, rather than having one of the interns do it. She didn't look up. In fact, she straightened a binder that was only crooked in her mind's eye. The incident with Cammie wasn't something she was willing to forget just yet.

"I just..." Cammie crossed her arms and leaned against the door, trying to keep the world outside, trying to keep her fears out there with it. "I wanted to apologize. I've been tying to apologize since last week, but you've been doing a really good job avoiding me."

"I didn't think there was any need for us to see each other again," Drew replied, words clipped. "You made that pretty clear."

"That's not..." Cammie ran a hand through her hair. "I didn't..." She sighed and pulled out a chair, but she didn't sit down. "I've only ever had sex with three other people, and one of them was a man. I've never..." She rubbed her face, not wanting to look at Drew, but knowing that she owed her an explanation. "I've never just... gone home with someone I met in a bar. So I freak out, and I'm sorry."

"I guessed as much." Drew wasn't going to be mollified by that. She didn't realize that it was so extreme, but she'd known that the congresswoman wasn't exactly the playgirl she'd taken her for initially. "But the equivalent of 'thanks and get out now' really isn't the way to handle it."

"I know that," Cammie snapped, then forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. "That's why I'm trying to apologize."

Drew pursed her lips as she put down the last binder and slowly looked up. She put her hands on the back of a chair and leaned against it as she took a deep breath. "I really don't want your apology, okay? I shouldn't have gone home with you anyway; I don't want to get involved in something like this with someone like you."

"That's fine with me." Cammie pushed away from the table and went to the door. "But I acted like a coward, and I'm not okay with that. So even if you don't want my apology, I still have to offer it." She turned the lock, knowing that Bill would be back soon with the coffee.

"So...it's not okay to act like a coward one night," Drew said quickly as she gripped the back of the chair tightly. Her cheeks were beginning to flush red, and she knew she should stop. "But it's fine the rest of the time?"

Cammie turned away from the door. "Not everyone in this country lives someplace as accepting as Manhattan or Boston or San Francisco. And yeah, people in Wyoming might leave me on my ranch in peace if I came out, but they'd never elect to any sort of office ever again. I had to make a choice, and I decided that what I do here is far more important than any sort of fleeting personal happiness that I might otherwise be able to have." Her voice was getting lower, more strident. "You've never had to make that choice. You've never had to give up a part of yourself to do this, so don't pretend like you're so very brave. I went you bed with you because you're attractive and I was lonely, but that doesn't give you the right to judge me." She opened the door, then slammed it behind her, marching past Bill and just ignoring the outstretched coffee cup.

*****

Drew put the bags on the table and began distributing the cartons, knowing Taylor would show up in the small conference room whenever she caught the smell. They'd tried probably fifty places since Taylor had gone into office before finding Chinese takeout they could both agree on. Drew wasn't looking forward to the dinner with much relish though. It was going to be a long night, but the day had been longer, especially with the way the morning started out. She was already sighing when Taylor came in, and she was looking down into her carton of rice like it might have some answers. "There's probably enough here for breakfast too," she mumbled.

"God, I hope we're not still here when breakfast comes around." Taylor slid into the opposite chair and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. "So," she said as she opened her own carton, "are you going to tell me what's up with you today?" Drew had seemed fine when she went off to set up for the meeting, but by the time Taylor got there, something had changed. Drew had been withdrawn for most of the day, and that was just weird.

"Are you kidding? You know what kind of day it's been," Drew replied as she finally broke apart her chopsticks and set about the rice like it might not be there for much longer. She was hungrier than she realized, and while she might have been stalling in talking to Taylor about what had really happened, she knew she would come to it. "God...this is...mmm..."

Taylor raised her eyebrows at the enthusiasm Drew was displaying in eating her dinner. "Yeah, but you normally end up bouncing off of the wall at the end of days this busy, and I was detecting a distinct lack of bouncing today." She started eating at a much more sedate pace than Drew, though she suspected that she was just as hungry.

Sighing softly, Drew reached for her iced tea and took a long sip. "It's nothing important really. Can I ask you something, though?" She picked up a carton of tofu and popped open the lid before beginning to transfer some of its content into her rice.

"Of course." Tayor motioned for Drew to continue, hoping that this would help her get over whatever was wrong.

"I know you were out when you were at the DA's office, but you were in the Navy before that..." Drew shrugged. She knew a lot about Taylor's background--a lot that was good for sound bites. And she knew more than she should about what happened in Taylor's bedroom. But she'd never tried to get too personal about other things. Taylor was her boss. "I mean...how was that transition...?"

Taylor shook her head. "You don't ask easy questions, do you?" She ran a hand through her hair and propped a foot up on an empty chair, trying to think back. It wasn't difficult. "You know, you always think that you're the one that isn't going to get caught."

Drew was sitting back, completely prepared to listen to some sort of story, but at that, she raised her eyebrows, resettling herself in her chair. "Wait...wait... Get caught?"

"Mmhmm." Taylor rubbed her thumb over the back of her academy ring. "My CO found out that I was gay and it was resign or get court-marshalled." She shrugged. "I took the easy way out."

"Oh, shit..." Drew sat back up and put down her food. She carefully wiped her mouth with a paper napkin as she tried to think of something to say to that. "I didn't even think of that...God..."

"Yeah, I don't really talk about it if I can avoid it. Still, it's probably best that you know, in case someone brings it up." Really, she had gotten lucky that it hadn't come up during the first campaign. "It never even occurred to me just why my CO wanted to talk to me that night. I was up for a promotion and I thought that he might be congratulating me early." Taylor slipped her ring off, looking at it.

"And when you resigned...did you think about staying in the closet?" Drew asked quietly.

"There wasn't much point." Taylor slipped the ring back on, grateful once again that her CO had given it back to her the next day, when she had officially resigned. "I had to tell my father why I was resigning when it was all that I had ever wanted to do. After that," Taylor shrugged. "I had already lost everything, so what did it matter if people knew or not?"

Drew fingered the ends of her chopsticks and stabbed them into her rice half heartedly. She let what Taylor had said soak in, and it made sense. But she hadn't ever seen any flashes of being lost in Taylor until then. "What if...you could've stayed in...just...kept hiding it..."

"Then I'd still be in the Navy, and we wouldn't be here." There was no doubt in Taylor's mind about that. None at all.

As she put down her food, Drew sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair, realizing that she just wanted to fall into bed and let the day finally finish. "What if someone called you a coward for it..."

Taylor looked up sharply, then reminded herself that Drew wasn't actually calling her a coward, and that she had been called things much, much worse. "I... wouldn't be very happy with whoever said that." She looked at Drew significantly. "I've spent my life serving this country in one way or another, and I've given up a lot to do it. Most people can't say the same. And I spent a long time coming to terms with the guilt I felt after I resigned. Because I felt like a coward for not letting them court-marshall me."

"Right..." Drew scrubbed her face. It wasn't the same situation. It wasn't really remotely the same, but Drew imagined that Camille probably felt the same way. "Thanks...sorry. I didn't really mean to bring up...such heavy memories."

"It's not a problem." Taylor shook her head. "Are you going to tell me why you were asking?"

"Ah...just a friend who got herself into a situation. It's no big deal." She waved her hand as if waving it all away. "Anyway...we should get to work."

"Okay." If Drew wasn't going to talk to her about it just then, she was going to have to be okay with that. Drew wasn't a lover or a child and Taylor couldn't just make her talk. She put her feet back on the floor and pulled a folder closer. "So, what are your thoughts on Richard's amendment?"

"Well..." Drew pushed the food out of her way and pulled a binder between them, opening it. She was happy to get back to work. The rest...she would think about later.

*****

As the elevator doors opened, Drew took a deep breath. She hoped the congresswoman wasn't already in bed. Actually, she half hoped that she wasn't there. The week had gone by too slowly; Drew couldn't keep her mind from wandering to her conversation with Taylor, to the implications of it. She resented that Camille automatically assumed it had always been easy for her--it hadn't--but comparatively... Drew let her feet take her to the room, and she was knocking on the door, willing to swallow her pride for a little while.

Cammie looked though the peephole and for a second she considered not opening the door, just pretending that she wasn't there, but she couldn't do it. So, she opened the door and crossed her arms. "What can I do for you?"

Drew tried very hard not to bristle, but she crossed her arms anyway. "Can I come in...please...?"

"Sure." Cammie stepped back and let Drew in. It was better than letting someone see Drew standing outside of her room late at night.

She didn't go far. If it turned out badly, Drew wanted to be close to the door so she could hurry out. She didn't like ending up in situations like this. She avoided them by avoiding being wrong. "I..." She fingered the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "I wanted to apologize for what I said before the meeting."

"Okay. Thank you." Cammie crossed her arms and fidgeted with the sleeve of her robe. "You could have just stopped by my office to say that." She let the unasked question hang between them.

"This...is something you keep separate from your office." Drew shifted and sighed softly. She still wanted to be angry about all of it, about the way Cammie had just pushed her away afterwards. But it was sex. She hadn't expected cuddling or deep talk. She _had_ expected to get off, but in the grand scheme of it all, that wasn't as important. "And I just...wanted to respect that."

Cammie nodded. "Thank you for that, then." And now that Drew had apologized, she wasn't entirely sure what to do with herself. "So... I guess I'll see you around, or something..?"

"Yeah. That's likely..." Drew shifted her bag to her other shoulder. She wasn't sure why she was hesitating. There was nothing more to say, and there was certainly nothing more to do. "Well. Goodnight."

Cammie reached past Drew to open the door, but it only brought her closer to Drew, close enough to smell her perfume, to feel her body heat, and Cammie's breath caught. She couldn't stop herself from glancing down at Drew's lips. "Yeah..." Even having the thought was a bad idea.

"Shit," Drew muttered as she pressed closer to Cammie, meeting her in a kiss. She pulled away quickly, though, even though it was harder than it should have been. "Right...sorry."

Cammie whimpered, actually _whimpered_ when Drew pulled away. She had never done that before. It felt like her body was betraying her, and she wasn't used to that. "You don't need to..." Cammie just couldn't stop herself and she leaned in for another kiss, wrapping a hand around the side of Drew's neck to keep her close.

"Shiiit..." This time Drew moaned and dropped her bag, wrapping her arms around Cammie. She kissed her again, harder, insistently. "I swear to God, if you make me leave like you did last time..."

"Not gonna make you leave." Cammie pushed her fingers into Drew's hair and pressed herself against her. Her stomach felt like it was full of lava. She kept kissing her as she pushed them back toward the bedroom. She wasn't going to end up on the couch again, either. "Wanna touch you."

"Not gonna say no to that..." Drew didn't bother with the light, and she stepped out of her shoes just as easily as she unzipped and got out of her pants. When her legs hit the bed, she pulled Cammie down on top of her and wrapped her legs around her.

"Fuuuckkk." Cammie ran her hands up Drew's legs and wrapped them around Drew's hips. "You feel amazing." She pressed down against Drew and starting tugging at her shirt, practically ripping it off. She didn't even get Drew's bra off before she started sucking on one of her nipples through the fabric.

"Yeah...just like that..." Drew gasped, dragging her fingers through Cammie's hair. "Fuck me.." she moaned. "God...fuck me, Cammie...you know that's what you want..." She sure as hell hoped it was because stopping then would have been beyond cruel.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Cammie bit down on Drew's nipple and pushed Drew's panties aside long enough to push her fingers into the other woman. She didn't even want to think about just how wet she was, hoe much she wanted Drew to do the same thing to her.

"Uhm..." Drew arched into the touch and grabbed fistfuls of Cammie's robe, trying to pull it off. "You're...certainly welcome to try to...mmm...make me," she moaned.

Cammie covered Drew's lips with her own. That was certain to make it harder for Drew to talk. And she pushed another finger into the other woman as she pressed her thumb against her clit.

"Mm...God...shit...shit..." Drew moaned as she pulled away from the kiss. She smirked as she pushed her hands under Cammie's shirt and drew her nails lightly down her back. "That's it...just...shit...yeah..."

Cammie moaned at the feeling of nails against her skin, and pushed harder into Drew, flicking her clit intermittently. "Are you gonna come, or are you just gonna talk about it," Cammie growled.

"Yeah...just..." Drew closed her eyes, shuddering almost violently with her climax. She grinned, moaning, twisting underneath Cammie. "God, Cammie...yeah..."

She collapsed on top of Drew, slowly pulling her fingers out of the other woman. She rolled onto her back and tried to catch her breath. "Yeah." She ran a hand through her hair and started up at the ceiling. This was still a bad idea.

"Yeah...I accept your apology now...in earnest," Drew said between panting. She rolled onto her side and walked her fingers up Cammie's chest. "Yeah..."

"So you were just being polite before?" Cammie shivered under Drew's fingers.

"Yes," she replied matter of factly. "I was just being polite. I'm sorry." Drew pulled the tie on Cammie's robe and let it fall open before cupping one of her breasts and rubbing her thumb over her nipple.

"Fuck..." Cammie arched up into Drew's fingers. She turned her head and caught Drew's lips with her own, kissing her deeply. "I don't care." She pulled Drew close. "Whatever. It's in the past now."

"Mmhmm..." And this would probably be the last time this happened. That was okay. it was simpler that way. Drew pressed her leg between Cammie's, and she start to touch her clit lightly as she fondled her other breast. "Totally in the past..."

"Yeah." Cammie hooked her leg over Drew's hip and pulled her closer. "God, stop teasing me. I don't have the constitution for it."

Drew smirked before she kissed Cammie hard. She began to touch her in earnest, amazed at just how wet the woman was.

It was all too much. It was just too much, too soon and Cammie wasn't used to it. She bucked against Drew's fingers as her own orgasm quickly overwhelmed her. Her last coherent thought was that coming that quickly was utterly ridiculous. And then her eyes closed and she wrapped herself around Drew. "Fuuuck."

When she fell back onto the bed, Drew was grinning to herself. She had been dreading this...for absolutely no reason it seemed. But as her skin began to cool, she stirred. "I...should get going," she said as she got up and started to pull on her clothes.

"Um... yeah." Cammie wrapped her robe back around herself and tied it tightly. She got up and just watched Drew get dressed. She didn't want Drew to go, and she didn't quite understand why, but it was best if Drew just went home, or wherever.

When she shouldered her bag again, Drew took a deep breath. She always left before the next morning. But something made her stop and turn around. And she was smiling. "Goodnight, Camille," she said softly, leaning down for a kiss. And when she sauntered out, closing the door behind her, she chose not to question just why she'd done that.


	11. Social Obligations

Cammie sipped her champagne and tried to relax. She really hated these things. She hated the dresses she had to wear and the mediocre alcohol and the small talk. She hated that this was what her social life had turned into: parties where no one had any fun and no one actually said anything. Which didn't mean that she wasn't good at it. Cammie wandered toward the host, a sincere enough smile on her face. He was handsome, and he was charming and she was going to go be charming too.

When Drew stepped into the party, she put on that particular smile--the one that showed her dimples and made her look harmless. She'd found it was a pretty good way to overhear interesting and useful things. Taylor was across the room; Drew looked for her first, and she nodded to herself when she recognized the congresswoman's companions. It was a pity that Abbie wasn't there. She was good at diffusing conversations when they went a little south, and people were more apt to give a little when talking business around her. Even if some people weren't comfortable with Taylor's sexuality, they all sure as hell liked her wife. For her part, Drew took a glass from a tray as a waiter passed, and she made her way into the crowd. "Senator Hayes," she said conversationally as the taller woman crossed her path. Totally straight. So, so straight. But completely irresistible when it came to an opportunity to flirt. Drew wasn't much for pretty dresses, but she knew she looked damn good that night. "You look beautiful tonight."

The brunette stopped, only smiling lightly when she saw who had said her name. She had people who needed her attention far more than Taylor Hamilton's chief of staff, but it wouldn't do to be outwardly dismissive of anyone. "Thank you Drew, and likewise." She sipped her drink, "I wasn't sure you or Congresswoman Hamilton would be here tonight, what with the vote soon." She tapped the edge of her glass, as if trying to remember, "forestry service funding...correct? Sure upstate is waiting to hear."

The voice caught her ear and Cammie couldn't stop the way her eyes sought out the speaker. It was Drew's voice, and Cammie's breath caught in her throat when she saw the other woman. There was no way that dress should be legal. She couldn't believe how close Drew was standing to Senator Hayes. She frowned without realizing it, and had to force herself to pay attention to Brad.

"Ah, yes, that would be the one. Well, don't give away our little secrets," Drew said, leaning in as she smirked, "but my arrival is the congresswoman's cue to go." Hayes was so smooth in premising the dismissal that Drew had to respect her. And she didn't mind. "But I'm sure you've got your hands just as full with those appropriations committee hearings." She smirked and glanced across the room. "And it looks like Senator Whatley is just about to cross our paths..." And Drew knew for a fact that Hayes's chief of staff had been trying to corner him the entire week, and she did so like to leave her straight crushes little gifts before she found someone else to flirt with. "So, if you'll excuse me..."

The congresswoman just had to shake her head quietly as she slipped off through the crowd. The timing was, she had to admit, impeccable.

Cammie couldn't stop herself from watching Drew as Senator Hayes moved away. She watched as Taylor came up to Drew and whispered something in her ear, then head toward the door. It made her flush, imaging getting to do the same thing or having Drew whisper something to her. She needed to get out of there. Cammie politely excused herself from her conversation with Brad and headed toward the other side of the room, happy to see that Ryan Phillips was at the party. They had been on a few dates before Cammie hadn't been able to deal with the deception, but they were still on good terms.

As Cammie moved across the room, more than a few heads turned--Drew's included. She watched, smiling behind her glass as she took a sip, but her smile faded when she heard Cammie's laughter float across the room when some too blonde, too tan guy hugged her. She pursed her lips, not realizing that she'd started glaring.

Cammie sighed lightly as Ryan wrapped an arm around her waist. On the up side, she could talk to him without really thinking about it, so she was free to keep looking around the room, to keep looking at Drew, though she was trying very hard not to.

Senator Hayes might have been unyieldingly straight, but one of her aids was absolutely not, and as soon as Drew spotted her, she grinned and sauntered over. Something felt tight in her stomach, and she told herself it was probably just the Thai food she'd had for a late lunch. There was no reason she should be jealous that Cammie was pretending with some guy whose name she couldn't remember. No reason at all. Yet when she got to Gwen Pardue, she made something of a ceremony of kissing her cheek and squeezing her hand. "Finally...I found the prettiest girl here," she murmured before glancing over her shoulder and back.

Cammie caught Drew's eye as she glanced back, and she flushed. It was too much and she pulled away from Ryan, heading for the balcony. She couldn't explain the jealousy, but she couldn't deny it either. Clearly, the best course was to leave, but it was too early for that. Getting some air would have to do.

Gwen blushed and smiled, but took half a step back. "It's good to see you again, but I don't know about that." She did enjoy getting to see Drew on occasion, but things had changed somewhat, and this manifested itself when her girlfriend stepped over and held out her refreshed drink, "Shauna, this is Drew. She's Taylor Hamilton's chief of staff." She waited while Shauna held out her hand to Drew, "She just got in from San Francisco for a week." She hoped Drew would get the picture so she didn't have to get too far into how they knew each other.

"Great to meet you," Drew said, her smile remaining though getting a little tighter. "And have fun, but don't let Gwen take you to anything else work related...it's simply no fun." She finished her glass quickly, questioning just what the hell had gotten into her head that night. "But I just wanted to say hello. I need to get a little work done." She smirked at the knowing look from Gwen and said her goodbyes as she crossed the room and found another waiter with another tray of champagne. This was ridiculous. Drew centered herself and did some smalltalk that had to be done, and when she'd had enough, she found herself scanning the room one more time while she made up her mind about leaving.

Cammie walked back into the room. The night had gotten cooler than she had anticipated, and getting air had just lead to shivering, which didn't do much to clear her head. Really, there wasn't any reason that she shouldn't say hello to Drew. Taylor was a friend and a colleague and they worked closely together, which meant that she worked closely with Drew. It would be weird if she didn't say hello. Cammie looked for her, and their eyes caught again.

Drew sighed and forced herself to move over to Cammie. Half the room had probably seen their eyes meet, so she had to make it look good. "Congresswoman...good evening."

"Drew." Cammie nodded. "How's your night going? I saw Taylor leave earlier." She could do this. It was just small talk.

"Ah, yes...she went back to the office, I'm sure." She gave a fake smile. "I just wanted to let you know that she's going to have to reschedule your appointment next week. I hope that won't be a problem." There was no such appointment, but they were surrounded by people. It was everything Drew could do not to flirt.

Cammie tried to remember the appointment, before she decided that Drew had made it up. "Of course not." She had to stop herself from stepping closer. "I hope that there are no hard feelings about the vote today?" Taylor had been trying to change her mind about it for two weeks, and she had been doing the same to Taylor. Neither of them managed a convincing enough argument.

"No...of course not. Taylor's looking forward to trying to sway you on the next one. But..." Drew was interrupted as John Burns sauntered up to them and kissed Cammie's cheek. "Cammie...my God, you look amazing. I'm so sorry to interrupt, but when I saw you, I absolutely had to come over and ask that gorgeous woman to a drink sometime this weekend. I'm sure Drea..."

Drew pursed her lips, "Drew," she said, her color rising lightly with her jealousy. "And I should be going, excuse me." She slipped away, headed for the door as she heard him say, "Well, how about that drink?"

Cammie looked after Drew regretfully, and hoped that John was too involved in himself to notice it. "A drink sounds good." John was too important to just dismiss, so it looked like she was stuck until after that drink. She just hoped that it would be a quick one.

"Good, good," he said, grinning. "Let me take you somewhere with a better selection and nicer company." He flashed his Virginia smile and put her hand on his arm.

Cammie put her hand over John's and slowly withdrew her arm. "As tempting as that sounds, the Congressional Women's Caucus has a meeting early tomorrow, and I really need to be getting home. I hope you'll understand why I'll need a clear head. They're all so very liberal. Someone with some common sense needs to be there." Cammie really hoped that he didn't know the caucus' meeting schedule and that he wouldn't check. She quickly stepped away before he could object and headed toward the door.

"Of course," he said congenially. "Sometime this week though." He smirked. "I won't take no for an answer."

She turned and waved back at him before she left. Maybe Drew hadn't made it out yet. Cammie looked around for her, but as far as she could tell, Drew wasn't anywhere to be seen. She sighed in resignation as she stepped outside. And her prayers were answered. Drew was standing at the curb, waiting for a taxi. "Care to share a cab? I think we're heading in the same direction."

"Are we?" Drew crosed her arms and stared forward, leaning slightly to watch. She rubbed her arms lightly and tried not to engage.

"Isn't your apartment just down the street from mine?" Cammie looked at the ground.

"Oh, yes...I had forgotten." Drew took in a breath. She didn't have to go through with it. The cab was pulling up, and she could always just...take the ride and find a bar. She opened the door for Cammie and slid in next to her. The air between them was so tense that Drew felt like it might crush her chest. And she couldn't pinpoint it; she couldn't understand why she would be jealous at all.

Cammie opened her mouth to say something, but everything that she came up with sounded trite or stupid. So she just stayed silent until the cab pulled up in front of the hotel she was living out of. She got out and waited to see if Drew was going to join her, holding her breath in anticipation, of acceptance or rejection... she wasn't sure.

"I think I'll just walk the rest of the way," Drew said as she paid the cabbie. She got out and wrapped her arms around herself. This...was ridiculous. "Well, Congresswoman, have a good evening..."

"You too." Cammie smiled tightly and turned away, hoping that Drew would be a few steps behind her after the cab drove off.

Drew wasn't. She waited, walked around the block even though her shoes were rubbing blisters on her toes. And finally, when she came around to the hotel once again, she stopped to go inside. Drew had replayed the night a couple of times, and it didn't make her feel any better...or make her feelings any clearer. But she went up to Cammie's room anyway.

Cammie was pacing. She had thought that Drew would only be a minute, and now she didn't know how long she was prepared to wait for the other woman to show up. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the knock. She may have yelped slightly. But she tried to calm down as she opened the door. "Hey," she said as she stepped back and wordlessly invited Drew inside.

"So..." Drew pushed past her and into the room. "I thought you were going to go to drinks with Mr. 'no really we're charming rather than racist and sexist in Virginia'..." She might have been pouting.

"I told him I had a women's caucus meeting in the morning." Cammie reached out for Drew, hoping that she wouldn't be rebuffed. "Did you really have to flirt with every halfway attractive woman in the room?"

"Excuse me?" Drew's cheeks flushed red immediately, but she didn't move away. Instead, she stepped closer, getting in Cammie's space. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Cammie's hands went to Drew's waist and she pulled her closer. "No one. I'm not anyone, but I think I was jealous of every woman you talked to tonight." She was so close that she could feel Drew's breath against her skin. "I wanted to kill Taylor when she was whispering in your ear."

"Were you..." Drew's voice came out more breathily than she realize, and she finished by kissing Cammie's neck. She didn't question it...she didn't want to question it just then. There was too much promise in Cammie's voice.

"Yeah." She brushed her cheek against Drew's and shivered. The tension was practically making her shake, but she couldn't bring herself to break it. "I wanted it to be me. I wanted to be able to wrap my arms around you." She was digging her fingers into Drew's hips. "That dress is, mmmm, ridiculously sexy."

"You were doing your own flirting," Drew said after swallowing. She tried to stay calm, not to completely lose it and push Cammie back while she kissed her and got that dress unzipped or ripped open or anything. "From what I could see."

"Meaningless. You know it was meaningless." Cammie pulled Drew back toward her bedroom.

"I don't know anything when it comes to you," Drew admitted. "I don't know what you really want, Cammi..." Her breath was short, and all she wanted to know what how long it would take to get the dress off.

"You. I want _you._" Cammie found the zipper on Drew's dress and pulled it down. She moaned as her hands touched skin and she couldn't resist nipping at Drew's earlobe.

"You sure about that..." Drew breathed, moaning softly. She pressed into Cammie's hands and fumbled with her own, searching for the brunette's zipper. "I'm sure Virginia would still be happy to have that drink..."

"He's a jackass." Cammie pushed her hands under Drew's dress and cupped her ass, pulling her closer. "And you're much, much more attractive, even if your checkbook probably isn't as big." She couldn't put it off any longer. Cammie kissed Drew as hard as she could.

The force took Drew so much by surprise that she half stumbled back only to be caught and pulled closer by Cammie. She pressed into her wantonly, pushing their hips together. "I would fucking kill him if I knew he got to go home with you," she growled as she pressed Cammie back against the wall.

Cammie gasped and pushed back against Drew as her knees turned to jelly. "God you're hot when you're jealous." She tried to pull Drew closer.

"Who said I was..." Drew began as she nipped down Cammie's neck, "jealous? I'm just...mmm...could you please take that fucking dress off before I tear it apart...?" She scraped her nails down the fabric and started to pull the skirt up.

"Why else would you want to kill John?" Cammie slapped Drew's hands away and smirked as she pulled her dress over her head. She was suddenly very glad that she hadn't been able to wear a bra with it. "And I think it's your turn." She starting pulling at Drew's dress.

Drew pulled her arms out of the dress and just let it fall in Cammie's hands. She wasted no time in cupping Cammie's breasts, squeezing her nipples between her fingertips, perhaps a little too hard. "Because he's a Republican...naturally," she purred before she started to suck the tender skin above one of Cammie's collarbones.

"I'm a Republican," Cammie gasped and pushed her breasts forward. Her thighs were wet and she couldn't breath. "God, Drew..." She grabbed Drew's head and forced it up for another kiss. "Bed's only a few steps away." But they were such very big steps...

"Mmhm...and I wanna do all sorts of other wicked things to you..." She wondered just how Cammie might react to a strap on. It was something to consider, but just then, she wasn't about to move. She pressed her hand down Cammie's side and between them, touching her over her panties.

Cammie whimpered, her hips jerking forward. She wrapped a leg around Drew's hip, trying to push closer. Her head hit the wall as her eyes rolled back. "I want you to do them. God, I want you to..."

"Do you want me to fuck you..." Drew licked her lips and grinned as she slipped her arm under Cammie's leg. She pressed her hips forward against her hand as she pushed Cammie's panties aside and pressed her fingers into her. "You want me to fuck you with my cock, Congresswoman?"

"Oh, God..." Cammie whimpered again and slid part way down the wall as her knee gave out, but Drew stopped her before she hit the floor. She wasn't used to being talked to that way, and she felt so exposed, like Drew could see right through her. "Please." She pulled Drew in for another kiss, trying to steady herself. But it wasn't working. Her head was spinning.

"Please what?" Drew teased, pumping her fingers slowly.

"God," Cammie whimpered. "Fuck me, Drew. Please, please fuck me." She couldn't believe she was saying it out loud. She couldn't believe that Drew was making her. Her face felt hot and she buried it in Drew's neck. But saying it made her muscles clench around Drew's fingers. Her panties were going to be absolutely ruined.

"Shit...yeah..." Drew bit her lip as she grinned, pumping faster. She pressed the palm of her hand against Cammie's clit, rubbing it, her thrusts becoming shallow.

"Dreeeww..." Cammie whined, trying to squirm closer, wanting desperately to come. Her breath kept getting caught in her throat and she clutched at Drew, grabbed for her, tried to get closer. As she came, her knee finally did give out and she slipped down, trying to pull Drew with her. It was insane. It was all absolutely insane.

Drew moaned and tangled her fingers in Cammie's hair as she braced herself against the wall with her other hand. "Oh good...you can lick me now," she said breathlessly.

Cammie barely managed to get her bearings before Drew urged her forward. She was shaking as she pulled Drew's panties down and pushed her tongue between Drew's thighs. She moaned as she tasted the other woman and pulled away slightly, pressing her cheek against Drew's thigh. "It's been... a really long time..." So long that she was terrified that she was going to embarrass herself once again. But she pushed the thought aside and started licking Drew, too enticed by the way she tasted to stop.

"God..." Drew meant to say that she didn't care, that it didn't matter to her. She was so wet, so ready that if she had to wait, she was going to completely fly off the handle. But as Cammie started, she simply moaned, her legs shaking with the effort of keeping herself upright.

Cammie kept licking, wanting to taste more and more of Drew. _Please come_. She was chanting it over and over again in her mind, silently begging Drew. She didn't realize that she was muttering it occasionally between licks.

When Drew did, she took a sharp breath before letting out a long moan, her body shaking until she slid to the floor next to Cammie. "You...ungh...yeah..." she murmured, pulling Cammie into a long kiss. "Yeah..."

Cammie wrapped her arms around Drew and tried not to think. It had been so long since she had just gotten to hold someone, to just be close and she wondered how long she would have before Drew decided to run off. "That was... wow."

"Yeah..." Drew grinned as her breath came back to her. She pushed her good sense away for a little while longer though. "Let's do it again..."

"In the bed this time?" Her knees were already getting stiff. She slowly stood up and held a hand out to Drew. Her bed definitely didn't see enough naked bodies.

"Wherever you want..." Drew said, grinning as she pushed Cammie onto the bed and wasted no time in crawling on top of her.


	12. Priorities

The file was heavy in Abbie's hands, but she waited until the door to her office closed behind her before a smile crossed her lips. It was the kind of opportunity one could wait an entire career for and never get. They'd been working on the case for three years, and in the 13th hour, someone had dug up a conflict keeping Ron from arguing the case. It wasn't really direct- but this case was too important to even have a hint of impropriety shadowing it. Abbie let out a long breath, and sat heavily, opening the file though she'd read all the details thousands of times. Her smile just wouldn't fade yet- the rumor was that offering the lead to her had come straight from the AG's office. The trial was a little over a month away, but now she'd have to eat, sleep, and breathe the strategy, the personalities involved, and keep up with all the last minute trouble that was likely to come up. And therein lay the problem—she and Taylor had been planning their vacation for months, Taylor's schedule having been increasingly busy. The tickets were bought, reservations made, and Taylor had been asking about a different restaurant almost every night that she'd heard about. It was planned and much needed for both of them. Abbie chewed her lip and reached for the phone, then decided against it—she could go ahead and take the flight to DC that night, to tell Taylor in person and at least get to see her before she got buried in this. She was both dreading breaking the news, and overwhelmingly excited to tell her partner about the opportunity.

Taylor smiled when she heard Abbie's key in the lock and the door opening. She had wanted to pick Abbie up at the airport, but gotten stuck finishing things up before she disappeared for a week. Abbie had taken a cab in, but Taylor had just managed to beat her home. "That you babe?" she called out, even though she already knew the answer. "Ready for a week without a single piece of paperwork or any 3 am phone calls?" She rounded the corner to the living room smiling.

Abbie just smiled. It was so good to see Taylor she wanted a moment before having to break the news. She stepped across the room and pulled Taylor into her arms, kissing her leisurely. "Mmmm..." Finally, she pulled back. "Very ready, trust me, but I actually need to talk to you about that."

She frowned as Abbie pulled away. "You better not have changed your mind." She said it in jest, but she was suddenly worried that Abbie had done just that. There was something off about her demeanor.

"Actually, I..." Abbie just hated doing this, "I got offered the chance to argue the Rollins case—the lead, Taylor; it's mine if I say yes." She couldn't help some small excitement showing, "I haven't agreed formally yet, but the offer came from the top—to me...and I know the timing, but...well..." She didn't want to seem like she hadn't considered their plans, but it wasn't something Abbie could in her right mind refuse, and Taylor should know that.

Taylor stepped back, frowning. "There isn't anyone else that can do it?" She shook her head in disbelief. "We've been planning this for months. There has to be someone else that can do it." She was pursing her lips and her cheeks were turning red.

Abbie pulled back out of Taylor's arms, "I'm sure there is, but that's not the point." She shook her head, "Taylor, I'm sorry, but I don't want someone else to do it. This is huge Taylor, I can't just let it go."

"Then do it when we get back, or bring the files with you. It was practically impossible to work out the time for this trip. We can't just reschedule." Taylor shook her head. Abbie's career was important, but they had barely seen each other for months, short weekends and stolen moments on the phone. It was getting ridiculous.

Abbie tried to hold her rising anger and stepped away to finally take off her coat. "I know Taylor, I know your schedule is busy." She tried to keep the edge out of her voice. "But this isn't a case I can just prepare for with a file and a beach chair."

"I miss you, damn it." The frustration was easy to hear in Taylor's voice. "I don't know why you can't just transfer to DC." She started pacing, needing to let out some of her building energy in some way that didn't involve yelling.

The brunette stood, crossing her arms as she watched Taylor pace. She knew that the anger was just out of Taylor's love for her, but it didn't change what she was suggesting. "I miss you too, but you know I can't do that right now. God Taylor, do you even realize how hard I've been working for this? I never asked you not to run for office, even though it threw my world upside down." Abbie couldn't help her voice rising.

Taylor sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "Fuck," she muttered. "Just, fuck." She felt like tearing her hair out. There wasn't any sort of good solution to this, and she hated that. "I know. I know." She pulled her hair back and put it in a ponytail. "I know you can't transfer and I know the case is important and I know that deciding to do this fucked everything up, but I asked you before I ran. I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been okay with you."

The comment had hit home, and Abbie had known it would the minute she said it. She took a breath and stepped around to sit tentatively next to Taylor. "Taylor, I didn't tell you not to because you were doing the right thing." She leaned forward and turned to the blond next to her, "And that's what I'm doing now. I'm sorry, it's not like I planned this."

"I know." Taylor sighed. "And I know I'm over-reacting." She leaned against Abbie, letting her head rest on Abbie's shoulder. "I just miss you."

Abbie instinctively wrapped her arms around Taylor, letting out a long breath, "I miss you too, and I really needed the break too." She chuckled to herself, "and I'd already done some shopping as well, and I don't mean for new beach towels."

Taylor smiled and chuckled as well, pulling Abbie against her and leaning back into the couch. "I guess I can just come to New York for the week, and maybe you can take pity on me and visit me at home occasionally, even if you do have to live in your office for the next six months."

"I promise." She flashed Taylor a smile, relieved that things were settling, "I'll make it up to you," Abbie moved her lips over Taylor's neck, "Mmm...perhaps over...and...over.." She'd been alone in New York far too long.

"I like the way that sounds." Taylor pulled Abbie even closer, practically onto her lap, before she captured her lips in a long, through kiss, before she pulled away. "I should call and cancel everything."

Abbie groaned, not letting go. "Yes, I suppose, but can't it wait a bit? An hour..even thirty minutes...hell, darlin', it's been a long week, ten would do at the moment."

Taylor laughed and made no move to get up. "Ten huh? Is that as long as it would take?" She ran a hand up Abbie's leg and under her skirt. "Are you sure about that?"

At that, Abbie's breath caught, and she grinned. "Make it five."

"Five?" Taylor pushed Abbie's panties to the side, smirking at how wet Abbie already was. "You've been like this since you got on the plane, haven't you?" It was easy to push her fingers into Abbie. "You know, nothing in this town happens without a little quid pro quo. What am I going to get if I make this happen?"

Abbie gasped, leaning her head back, eyes closed. "Oh..I...my endless gratitude?" Taylor felt so good moving inside her, and the tension she'd been carrying was melting.

"I don't know if that's enough." Taylor pressed her thumb against Abbie's clit, thoroughly enjoying the banter. She scraped her nail over it before she started rubbing it again. "You can do better than that. The clock's ticking." She made a show off looking at her watch.

"Shit, Taylor.." Abbie squirmed, trying to press into the touch, "I...anything you want tonight." If that wasn't good enough, Abbie couldn't think of much else.

Taylor licked her lips and curled her fingers inside Abbie, trying to push her over the edge as quickly as possible. "Tick, tick, tick..." She nipped at Abbie's skin.

"God...yes..." Abbie moaned wantonly, letting herself go, pressing Taylor into her harder. Her legs were soon shaking, breath shuddering as she came hard against Taylor's hand. Moments later, she slumped back, sweat just cooling along her hairline. Finally she recovered enough to smile at Taylor, "never doubt I'm good working under deadlines."

Taylor laughed as she held Abbie close. "I never doubt you when you're determined to do something." She kissed the slightly damp skin of Abbie's neck. "Why don't I book us tickets back to New York for tomorrow morning, and while I'm doing that, you can slip into whatever it is you bought for this vacation..." She had no doubt that there was _something_ interesting in Abbie's overnight bag.


	13. Interlude

Alex looked up from the file and found Olivia watching her, eyes half lidded. Beyond waiting, the trail prep, the travel arrangements, it had been a harrowing day. Just to see the familiar skyline, to breath the familiar smells, no matter how rank...she felt like she could lose herself when she had been holding on so tenuously. She would not let herself hope that this could mean an end. Not yet; she had lost too much, and hope was painful. No matter how easy it had been to simply talk since Olivia arrived, there was a tension that would not dissipate. She forced. "It's been a long day," she said as she flipped the file closed.

"It has been, but you're going to do fine tomorrow." She nodded to the file in Alex's hands. "I know you will." A silence fell again, and the tension returned. Olivia could feel the elephants lurking in the corners of the room, and she shifted on her feet. It would be small consolation but she had agonized over whether to ask. The brunette glanced down, then back at Alex, "Alex, this is against the rules..." She had already broken them that night, in the name of justice, perhaps in the name of more. But these rules were different, more difficult to negotiate. "But we all owe you more than a little. I could..." Olivia shifted again, "Alex, Abbie's in town this week. I could...if you wanted to talk to her..." The words hung, and the silence was almost choking.

"No..." she replied quickly, clutching the file. Alex shook her head and tried to compose herself, repeating more evenly, "No...I wouldn't..." She shook her head again, her eyes growing dark. The images of that night--Abbie's smile, her soundless laughter on Alex's computer screen--had not yet faded. Who was she to interrupt such bliss? Who was she to still remain so selfish, so pained. She couldn't bring that back to Abbie; she couldn't let her revisit that hurt if she had moved on. "Thank you, Olivia, but…no."

Olivia would be the first to admit wanted Alex the moment they'd met, had fallen for her too easily, but she had learned, even tried to make peace with the fact that Alex was too complex, too caught in her own worries and needs for anything lasting with her. But tonight, there was so much hurt that Olivia didn't have the ability to fix it. "I...okay. For what it's worth...Alex; look, Alex, I'm sorry." She was silent for a few long moments, watching the blonde's face fall behind her usual mask of confidence. It had not been easy for Olivia to offer, just as letting go enough to watch had not been easy. "Maybe you should get some rest."

"I don't see how I could," Alex replied quietly. She looked down at her hands, now remembering only Abbie's long fingers. Her eyes glistened with tears that she did not blink away as she looked back up. It would be easy to simply try to take comfort in Olivia, but Alex knew that would only make things hurt more. Olivia was no stranger. Things had changed for all of them. "I'm sorry...you're right."

Olivia wouldn't pretend to really understand Alex, even though she'd tried through the years. Still, she quietly pulled her into her arms, biting back a sigh. This was not Emily and would never be. The night Alex left was still too vivid in her mind, but she had never ceased to be Alex—that much was clear. Still, she felt distant, almost rigid, but Olivia couldn't just watch her start to break. "Yeah, it's okay Alex."

Alex nodded, but she could not completely let herself relax into the touch, even though she pressed her cheek to Olivia's chest, closing her eyes. How much longer would she get to breath this familiar air? When she opened them again, she had softened under the weight of every bit of history that she now faced as something more than clinging memories. "Thank you," she said quietly as she looked up into Olivia's eyes.


	14. Long Distance

It wasn't often that US Attorney's showed up on the national nightly news, at least not for good reasons, so after a quick tip, Taylor had made it a point to watch the broadcast live. It hurt that she couldn't be in New York to celebrate with Abbie, and it had hurt even more when she had been trapped in a meeting when the verdict had actually come in, forced to be content with a text message of congratulations. But she was finally free and home, and dialing Abbie's number was automatic.

Abbie had had what was probably the greatest- and most stressful- week of her life. It had been such a long time since she'd last been accosted on the courthouse steps by the press, and she almost had forgotten how natural it could feel. Being a congresswoman's wife had no doubt only increased the interest. She was kicking off her shoes, finally at home, and intent on a well-deserved glass of wine, when her phone rang. She smiled when she saw Taylor's name, and picked up the call. "Hey, darlin'."

"Congratulations, babe. You deserve it." If she could have gotten on a flight that moment, Taylor would have done it. She had barely gotten to speak to Abbie over the past week and now that she could hear her voice, it only made her miss her even more acutely.

Abbie grinned, balancing the phone against her shoulder as she opened the bottle of wine, "Thanks. Honestly, I think it's still sinking in." And there would be more celebrations, not to mention truckloads of paperwork still to do, but Abbie wasn't thinking about that yet.

Taylor could hear the distinct sound of a cork squeaking free. "I wish I could be there to share that wine with you. Do you know when you might be able to get down here?" Abbie's schedule was normally more flexible than hers, though that hadn't been the case lately.

"I'd like nothing more, I miss you." And there was really only one person Abbie wanted to share her success with. "But I don't think I'll be able to get down there this weekend. I did, however, put in a vacation request for a long weekend the one after." It felt like such an indulgence after the past months, but no one would question her having earned it.

"How about I make a congressional resolution about it? Think that would convince them to let you have the time off?" Taylor pulled her shoes off and curled up on the couch. "I'm going to miss you until then, but it'll give me time to plan some sort of proper celebration."

Abbie laughed, carrying her glass into the living room and dropping down onto the couch. "The way things are going around here, I might not need an order, could pull strings of my own and get a private jet." She sat back, sipping her wine, "but I'll miss you too, and plan all you want but if it requires getting out of bed I might have to veto you."

"I'll keep that in mind, but please don't do any string pulling that's going to get me dragged in front of an ethics board." The smile was evident in Taylor's voice. "You know I'm incredibly proud of you. Proud and impressed. Everything I read said you put a hell of a case together."

"Thanks Taylor, but it does help when the evidence is on your side." Abbie could feel herself bushing lightly at the praise, or it could have been the wine.

"I've never known you to be so modest, despite that suit you were wearing on the news." Taylor got more comfortable, lying down on the couch. "Have your hemlines gotten longer, or am I just that bereft of the sight of your legs?"

Abbie laughed. "Well I didn't think it appropriate to have the appellate panel staring at my hemlines the whole time. I actually had a good case this time." She could sense the edge in Taylor's voice, "So did you listen to the interview, or were you a bit distracted, Representative Hamilton?"

"Do you think that my ears stop working when I stare at your legs? Of course I listened. Though I do prefer it when you're talking to me, and not a reporter."

"Oh yes?" Abbie crossed her legs, "And what would you like to ask me if it were you?"

Taylor could hear the playfulness in Abbie's voice. "Well, Ms. Carmichael, I would ask you what it feels like to be saving the world..." And she would be pushing Abbie's skirt up as she said it, feeling her legs under her fingertips.

Abbie shifted, laughing lightly, "Pretty good, Taylor, but not as good as I'd feel if you were here right now I think." She was already anticipating, reaching for the buttons of her shirt. It wouldn't be the first time she'd touched herself to the sound of Taylor's voice from far too far away, but the admiration in her partner's voice struck her, and she could already feel the fabric of her panties getting wet.

"Really?" Taylor chuckled, her voice low. "It feels better to have my fingers on your skin than it does to save the world?"

"I think both would be best." Abbie trailed her fingers down her chest, "I'm in the mood to have it all."

"Are you?" Taylor shifted on the couch in anticipation. She knew exactly what Abbie's fingers would be doing in that moment, and she could picture them unfastening buttons and slipping under her shirt. She started doing the same, not content to just listen anymore.

"Yes, and for starters I think I'd like to hear you tell me what you're wearing." Abbie closed her eyes, listening intently.

"Oh, nothing special," Taylor teased, getting up and heading into the bedroom. "But it all comes off easily." The fabric of her suit rustled as she unzipped her skirt and stepped out of it. It took a second of juggling the phone, but her shirt soon followed. "And now I'm not wearing anything except that cream lingerie you like, with the satin edges..."

"Mmm Taylor..." Abbie slipped her fingers under her shirt, touching herself over her bra, "that was fast." She could just imagine Taylor there, in the dim light of the room. "Go lie down, Taylor, on top of the blankets so I could see you."

"Feeling bossy tonight?" Taylor closed her eyes for a minute before she did as Abbie asked, the bed swaying slightly under her weight. She shivered slightly, though she wasn't sure if it was the coolness of the comforter or Abbie's voice that caused it.

"Well, I did get my way today, and it wasn't half bad." She could just hear the rustle of the blankets as Taylor lay down. "And don't pretend you don't like it."

"I never said I didn't." Taylor arranged herself on the pillows and shifted her phone where she wouldn't have to hold it. "What happens next, babe? Don't keep me in suspense."

Usually, Abbie was more than happy to let Taylor take the upper hand, but now and then she had other plans. She smirked, and reached to unzip her skirt, standing quickly to slip it off before sitting down again. "Well, I like your choice of lingerie so well, I think I want you to keep them on for awhile." Abbie started to touch herself quietly. "And I'd like you to wait."

"I don't mind waiting, sugar. What are _you_ doing?" Taylor stroked her hands over her stomach as she listened to Abbie's breathing catch.

"Just thinking about you." Abbie wasn't in the mood to wait too long herself. "Tell me what you'll do when I see you again."

"Well, I've already been told that my plans can't involve getting out of bed..." Taylor smirked. "So I guess I'll be here waiting for you, curled up in bed when you get in from the airport."

"That sounds...mmm...perfect..." Abbie could imagine walking in, pulling off her clothes and joining the blond, how her skin would feel. "And you'll be wearing just what you are now?"

"If that's what you want." Taylor's fingers ached to touch Abbie, and she had to curl them into the comforter to keep from touching herself. "I think I can deal with you dictating my clothing for a day."

Abbie could hear the want in Taylor's voice rising, and she touched herself more quickly, growing closer. "It is what I want, and I also want you to tell me how you'll make me come."

"I'm going to hold you down and lick you until you scream." Taylor just couldn't stop herself anymore and she quietly moved a hand down her stomach and under her panties.

"Oh God Taylor," The answer hit Abbie hard, and she couldn't hold off any longer. She could imagine the determination that would be in Taylor's eyes, and she rocked against her fingers, pitching up as she came. "Shit..." she breathed into the phone, "Taylor why are you so far away?"

"I wish I wasn't baby, I wish I wasn't." She desperately wanted Abbie in her arms that instant. "Please... please make me come..." She squirmed under her own fingers, no longer bothering to try to hide it.

Abbie listened to Taylor's breath intently, hearing it quicken. "Taylor, let me hear you, let me hear more. I want to hear you come like you will with me soon."

"God, Abbie," Taylor moaned, twisting under her fingers as she imagined Abbie touching her. "Please, please..." She was chanting it, repeating the word over and over as she got closer to her climax and it finally rushed through her.

Abbie moaned along with Taylor, taking a long moment to quiet, thinking about how good it would soon feel to fold into Taylor's arms at such a moment. She ran a hand through her hair, "Perfect..."

"Not quite." Taylor rolled onto her side and curled up. "You're still too far away."

"I know." Abbie's voice was quieter now, and she picked up her wine again. "But soon."

"Mmhmm." Taylor's eyes were drifting closed and she took a moment to settle under the covers. She would only take a short nap. "I'm proud of you, babe. So proud of you." Her eyelids were getting heavier by the moment.

Abbie pulled her legs up to her chest, "I love you Taylor, and thanks." She wanted to just go to bed, but there were a few last things before that would be possible. "Have a good night, darlin' "

"You too. Sleep well." Taylor ended the call and turned out the light. A week and a half wasn't really that long of a wait.


	15. Plans

Drew propped herself on one of her elbows and kissed Cammie's inner thigh before she grinned up at the brunette. "Mmm...at this rate, I'm going to end up staying the night...I hope you know that..." And as promising as that sounded, staying the night meant she was going to have to get up earlier than anyone ever should in order to beat anyone else coming out for work in the morning.

"Mmhmm." Cammie reached down for Drew, drawing her up and into a kiss. "I was hoping you might." Their nights kept getting longer and long, but as long as no one saw Drew leaving in the morning, that was perfectly fine with her.

"You're trying to kill me aren't you?" Drew settled next to her and kissed her neck lightly before rolling onto her back. "I was only running on five hours of sleep before, and now..." She shook her head and chuckled. And she loved every moment of it--the stress, the going every second, even when it was completely recreational.

"You've stumbled upon my evil plan." Cammie turned and wrapped her arms around Drew, tangling their legs together. "But you can go home and sleep if you like..." Cammie nuzzled against Drew's neck, trying to make sure that she wouldn't change her mind. "It isn't as if I'll be getting that much more sleep than you. I'm glad the winter recess is coming up soon."

"Mmhm...yeah I guess." Drew raked her fingers lazily through Cammie's hair and down her back. Her eyes were starting to close just a bit, but her body was certainly responding to Cammie's touches. "If you like that sort of thing..." Drew never quite knew what to do with herself during those types of things. It all just seemed too easy if there wasn't a workday looming.

"I do." Cammie was just lazily running her hand up and down Drew's sides without any real intent beyond falling asleep next to her. "You should come out to Wyoming while I'm there. I could show you the ranch, take you riding through the snow..."

At that, Drew laughed outright and shook her head. She knew there was absolutely no way that Cammie was serious. It took effort to get her to let her stay overnight; there was no way she was inviting Drew home. "Yeah, something tells me that you aren't talking about the metro either," she teased.

"I'm serious." Cammie smiled at the thought of actually getting to wake up next to Drew. "The house is huge... Well, it's huge for one person and there won't be anyone but my sister and her family for miles and miles." She closed her eyes and just pictured them in her bed, a fire going in the fireplace and mugs of hot coffee near by. "You wouldn't have to sneak off in the morning."

"Wait..." Drew sat up and turned so she could look down at Cammie, who seemed entirely too serene. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head in disbelief. "Are you... Cammie, are you out of your mind? I mean, really?" And then she scoffed. Teasing her that way just wasn't fair...even if she really had no desire to ever go to somewhere like Wyoming. "Come on, stop."

Cammie opened her eyes and looked up at Drew, suddenly worried that maybe she had asked too much too quickly. "Yeah, really." She shrugged, "but if you don't want to come, you don't have to." She knew she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. Of course, Drew wouldn't want to spend the break out in the middle of nowhere with someone she was just having casual sex with. She would probably want to go back to New York.

"No, it's just that..." Drew shook her head in disbelief as she tried to wrap her head around it. "Let's face it, Camille, you are pretty far in the closet...like...past the furs and one foot into Narnia... I can't imagine how my going _home_ with you for an extended period of time could be anything other than a disaster. As much as I'd love to spend the time with you in one of your, I'm sure, huge beds in B.F.E. Wyoming, I'm not going to pretend to be your _friend_ for an entire winter break."

"How would you want me to introduce you? It isn't exactly like we're dating." Cammie pulled away from Drew and rolled over, pulling the covers up around her shoulders. "Just forget that I said anything."

"Cammie..." Drew ran her hands through her hair and looked up to the ceiling, as if the light fixtures could give her some kind of clue as to what the hell had just happened between them. This is why she didn't date...this is why she didn't sleep with closeted women more than once. "I just mean that it seems a little ridiculous to stick me in a guest room with a moose head or something when I'm going to be sleeping in your bed the whole time. I didn't think you liked to take risks like that."

"I live alone in a house in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn't have bothered to put you in the guest room." Cammie turned the light off. She just wanted to go to sleep.

Drew licked her lips, hesitating as she was torn between going and staying. Finally, she lay behind Cammie and tentatively wrapped her arms around her. "Hey...I'm sorry...I just..." She sighed softly and just let the silence fall.

With a sigh, Cammie pressed back into Drew's arms. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." It had been a stupid idea.

"Let me just...get back to you on it okay?" Drew squeezed her eyes shut, wondering why in the hell she was even considering it and not really wanting to explore the answer to that.

"Okay." Cammie already knew what her answer would be.

Drew sighed as she settled in, knowing the alarm was going to go off all too soon. She would think about it later, if she let herself think about it at all.


	16. Interlude

Cammie fiddled with her napkin as she looked down at the table. It had been a very good lunch, but she had spent most of it distracted. She had hoped to talk to Taylor about Drew, in an oblique sort of way, but now that the meal was coming to an end and her chance was ending with it, she was nervous. She wasn't used to having to ask for relationship advice, if this really even was a relationship. She took a deep breath to steal her nerves. "You and Abbie weren't always so perfectly happy, right?" She didn't know what she was going to do if Taylor said that everything had been fantastic from the beginning.

Even before she could raise her eyebrows at the abrupt change of subject--her love life as a direct leap from the reception neither of them wanted to attend a week before--Taylor was laughing and shaking her head. "There was a point where Abbie and I were so...so far away from perfectly happy."

Cammie nodded. "Was there a point where you wanted more than you had and Abbie didn't? Or you thought that Abbie didn't?" It was so much easier to talk about other people and keep herself out of it.

"It was..." Taylor shook her head as she thought back. It wasn't as long ago as it seemed, but happiness had softened some of the details. "Maybe...maybe for both of us. It was...certainly complicated." How complicated, she wasn't sure Cammie would really understand. But the end had been worth every bit of it, and Taylor couldn't regret that. She cocked her head and leaned forward slightly. Cammie's sudden interest had gone past the usual pleasantries--asking how Abbie was, which she had done at the beginning of the meal. "Are you seeing someone?"

"I, um," Cammie shook her head. "I'm not really sure. I don't know if you could call it a relationship." And now her cheeks were bright red. Girl talk wasn't something she had much practice in.

"Well, that's definitely not what I would have called what Abbie and I once had," Taylor replied. She sat back and carefully considered what to say next. She hoped Cammie was seeing a woman--for her own sanity. But it was just as likely that she wasn't, and that was perhaps where the hesitation came from. "Everything has to start somewhere."

"Yeah." Cammie nodded as she considered whether to go on or not. Taylor, after all, was probably the only person besides Drew that she could really talk to about any of it, and she definitely couldn't talk to Drew. "I just... I think I might have scared...him." She winced slightly at the pronoun, wishing she could just tell Taylor who it was. But even that was complicated. "Asking for too much, too quickly, maybe."

"Well," Taylor began as she carefully folded her napkin and unfolded it again to repeat the process. She knew that they were on dangerous ground, and she could hear the pause in Cammie's voice. "Just what have you asked for, Cammie?"

"I asked him to come to Wyoming over the recess, just, to get away from everything here. There, uh, aren't quite so many cameras in Wyoming." She hoped that Taylor would understand what she was getting at. "I didn't really mean for it to be a big deal, but I think it turned into one."

Taylor rubbed her forehead, wondering just how qualified she was to give advice in this situation...or at all. Some part of her still believed that what she had with Abbie was still dumb luck. "There's still before the recess. Maybe you should just...let him think about it."

"You don't think I should try to explain?" Even as she said it she knew it sounded dumb. She sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. I don't want to make it worse." She shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "Someday, you're going to have to explain to me how you got through 10 years in the Navy without being celibate the entire time." And she had no doubt that Taylor hadn't been celibate.

And Taylor nearly choked on her orange juice. "Yeah...someday." Maybe when Cammie actually told her who her girlfriend was. And she didn't think that was likely to happen. "Stop obsessing, Cammie. I'm sure your trip home with your...friend...will turn out fine."

"Yeah. Thanks." Cammie smiled weakly as she flagged the waiter down and paid for lunch. She just needed to learn to let go of some things. Trying to force Drew to understand, trying to force Drew to do anything, wouldn't work.


	17. Hypothetical

Even though she could hear Taylor on the phone, Drew knocked lightly on her door and stepped into her office. She had set up the call, and she knew that it would be over soon enough; so, she waited, simply leaning against the door and sauntering forward when Taylor hung up. "Don't ask about my meeting this morning...you don't want to know until I can sort it all out this afternoon." She dropped into a chair and rubbed her head. "Oh...Abbie is coming out this evening. It's a surprise, so act surprised. But I have to tell you because I know you won't be home by nine otherwise."

"Then I'll act surprised." Taylor smiled for about half of a second at the thought of getting to see Abbie that night, but then she refocused. "And I won't ask about your day."

"Good." Drew shifted in her seat, crossing her legs as she thought of how to begin. "I have a friend..." This was going to be absolutely ridiculous, and even though Drew could see it playing out, she couldn't stop herself. "She's...well, I don't know what she's doing with this woman who is absolutely not coming out anytime soon... God, I'm sorry...do you mind?"

"Only if this friend of yours is actually you." Taylor was happy to talk to Drew about almost anything, but she didn't have time deal with one of Drew's friends.

"What...no..." Drew shook her head and stood quickly. She tugged at her jacket with the nervousness that only intensely personal situations that she didn't want to deal with caused her. "No...nevermind."

"Sit back down," Taylor ordered. "Whatever it is that's bothering you, get it out where we can get back to work. So, you're sleeping with someone who's still in the closet?"

"She wants me to go home with her over the winter recess," Drew mumbled, dropping back into the chair and feeling something like a teenager again.

Taylor raised her eyebrows. This was starting to sound familiar. "So what's the problem?" She really hoped that Drew wasn't talking about who she thought she was talking about.

"I..." Drew hadn't really gotten that far mentally, but she knew she'd gone too far. There was no way to really explain the situation without telling Taylor just who she was talking about. She shook her head. "I don't know. Just me. Forget about it."

"Drew, tell me you're not sleeping with Camille Jackson..." Taylor rubbed her forehead. Why did everyone come to her for relationship advice?

"I'm not," Drew replied all too quickly. She knew her face was flushing, and she stood again, determined to leave this time.

Of course she was, and that was just destined to end badly. "If you need a reason to go to Wyoming, I'm sure going over the language on the Green Energy Bill one more time wouldn't be a bad idea. I'd go myself, but Abbie and I are spending Christmas in Texas this year..." Cammie could consider it a Christmas present.

"Yeah...thanks..." Drew was already heading back to her office, trying to calm her fast beating heart. She needed to give Cammie an answer. She already knew what that answer would be. And she just had to push the 'why' of it out of her mind. "Remember to act surprised when Abbie gets here. I don't want her to be pissed at me."

"I will." And with that, Taylor turned back to her work, trying very hard to forget that the preceding conversation ever took place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find out just how Cammie and Drew's break goes: [Hidden Away](http://archiveofourown.org/works/104238?view_full_work=true) (NC-17)


	18. Interlude

Taylor's head snapped up as the door to her office rushed open and suddenly all of the space in front of her desk was full. She barely had time to register just who was in front of her before she got swept up into a hug and heard her secretary's belated apology. She was an inch off of the ground before everything caught up to her.

"God, Taylor, you look fantastic." Todd put her down as he spoke, only to pull her back into his arms for another too tight hug. She didn't have any choice but to hug him back. "I guess I should call you Congresswoman now. I can't believe it. I mean, I can, but..." He just shook his head in wonderment and Taylor was finally able to get in a word.

She pushed against his biceps and took a step back, not sure what to make of his sudden presence in her office. "I..." she mimicked the way he was shaking his head, "I didn't know that you were in town." If her voice was a little cool, she hoped he would just attribute it to the surprise. They had barely spoken since she had left the Navy; they hadn't seen each other in years. Despite the hug, she wasn't really sure what he thought of her.

"Only through Monday. Then I'm off on a deployment." He straightened his uniform jacket and sat his hat on her desk as he leaned against it. "I thought we could catch up before I have to leave again, maybe get something to eat if you have time."

"Yeah, sure." She checked her watch. "I can do lunch, if we do it now. I'm headed back to New York later tonight."

"Great." Todd picked his hat back up and opened the office door. "There's that new Mexican place down the street that I wanted to try before I left. We can go there."

*****

Taylor laughed as she finished the last of her taco. "Well, congratulations on the promotion, even if you did have to fall into a tub of pudding to get it." She shook her head at the story. "I'm almost sad that I wasn't there to see it." She tried not to make it personal, make it about the things that she had missed out on by leaving the Navy. Her own life was so close to perfect that she really couldn't begrudge him his own happiness.

"Hell, if you'd been there, you'd've been the one pushing me into it." Todd wiped his mouth with his napkin before grinning and leaning back in his chair. "You look damned good. Never woulda thought this type of job would agree with you so much."

"Sam had to fight me tooth and nail to get me to run, but I'm glad that I did." As she thought back to that summer, she reached out and took his hand squeezing it tightly. "I can't believe that you're still in uniform."

"Sam..." He leaned forward again, eyes wide. "Shit, are you kidding? I was pretty sure you were never going to speak to her again." He shook his head, thinking about what an odd coincidence it turned out to be that neither of them were interested in him or any other man. "But yeah...I mean...what else would I do?" He'd never dreamed of anything else.

Taylor shrugged. "I think everyone always assumed that the family business would pull you away eventually, no matter how much you loved it." The family business, of course, being to increase their already substantial fortune. She guessed that it wasn't suffering much from one son's inattention.

"Yeah...good thing the best excuse as any to stay out of it is the one thing I really love..." He toyed with his napkin, folding it and unfolding it again. It was passed the time to say the things he needed to say. "I'm sorry I haven't tried to...I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch, haven't tried to see you in so many years, Taylor. I feel pretty shitty about it."

"Yeah, well, it's a two way street." She could only shake her head. "I should have tried harder too." But she had always been too afraid to reach out. "I was scared that you would think that I betrayed you somehow, and I'm sorry I didn't give you more credit."

"You...shouldn't have. I mean...there was half a second--and I really mean half a second--where I felt like you did. But...it's who you are, and I guess I really should have seen it. God, I know I should have seen it with Sam, but I just thought she was a bitch." He laughed almost boyishly. "But I just...can't imagine what it was like knowing that that secret could destroy it all...and then it did. I shoulda been there for you."

"Well, everything seems to have worked out." Taylor squeezed his hand again. "But I'll let you pay for lunch to make for it." She stood as she waited for him to leave some cash on the table. Once he was done and they were back on the street, she wrapped an arm around his waist. "I'll buy you a beer when you get back to properly congratulate you for that promotion." She looked up at him, still slightly stuck in the past, at the Academy, yet starting to see a future. "And then I can start looking for someone for you to marry." Her eyes sparkled as she teased him.

"I'll take the beer...and maybe an introduction to your...uh, partner," he said, fumbling for the right word. Todd stopped suddenly and pulled her into another hug. "It's so damned good to see you... I'm glad I caught you before you headed back to New York--at least I assume that's where you run off to when they let you guys out of here." He winked.

"I'll be happy to make that introduction. I think you and Abbie would get along." She hugged him back much more tightly than she had earlier. "Promise me that keep your head down over there. If you have to be hero, don't be a stupid one."

"You know me," he said, smiling. "I'll see you when I get back, okay? No running away this time."

"No running away." She finally had to let go of him and step away. "Give me a call and we'll see about the beer." She squeezed his arm before she turned to go. She needed to get back to the office if she was going to be able to finish everything before her flight back to New York.


	19. Ordinary

Taylor sighed in contentment as she leaned back in her chair and folded her napkin. "That was... mmm." She closed her eyes for a second as she ran a hand through her hair. Dinner had been amazing, even if there were take out containers sitting in the kitchen. She had been away for so long that it really was the thought that counted. Just being able to stay home and not have to go out and possibly run into God knows who and then spending half of the night talking to people that she just didn't have the patience for when she had only been home for a few hours... Abbie really was a godsend. "Perfect. I can't believe how long it's been since I've gotten to eat at home." She reached out Abbie's hand and squeezed it lightly. It might have been a little longer if not for the winter recess. "And I'm sure that you spent hours slaving in the kitchen to make it too." She grinned.

Abbie smiled and picked up her wineglass, taking the last sip before leaning back and letting out a contented breath. "Hours." She knew it wasn't a ruse she could keep up, Abbie was many things, but a cook wasn't one of them. She laughed then, eyes meeting Taylor's, "...or fractions of 'em maybe."

"Just long enough to call the restaurant, open the door, and put everything on plates?" She kissed Abbie's fingers, lingering over them. "You have no idea how happy I am to be home." No matter how much time she spent in DC, New York was always going to be home.

As Abbie stood, her smile spread. She held out her hands to pull Taylor up after her. It had been a long few weeks for them both, but the night just hung perfectly between them. Taylor's things were still in the hallway, and the dishes could wait. It was snowing again, but the wind was quiet outside the windows. "About as happy as I am that you're back?"

"Mmm, probably." Taylor wrapped her arms around Abbie from behind and rested her cheek against Abbie's shoulder. "Is there anything that we have to do tomorrow? And if you say yes, I'm never speaking to you again." She was so tired that it was ridiculous and she fully intended on sleeping in the next morning.

Abbie turned in Taylor's arms and slowly backed her into the living room, moving toward the couch. "Well as long as you'll still touch me." She laughed and kissed Taylor slowly. "But, no, darlin', I've planned exactly nothing for tomorrow. Noting that involves getting out of bed anyway."

"Oh, good." Taylor kissed Abbie again, taking her time. "But does that mean you've made plans that _do_ involve staying in bed tomorrow morning? Because those sorts of plans sound right up my ally." She sank down onto the couch and tugged on Abbie's hand, pulling her down too.

"Mmnn..." Abbie followed Taylor down, pushing her over so she could lie on top of her. She kissed her neck, slowly moving up to her lips again. "I think you know the answer to that." It really had been entirely too long, and Taylor always felt so good.

"Yeah." Taylor slid her arms around Abbie's waist and settled her weight on top of her. She closed her eyes for a long moment. "I've missed you. I've missed this... just, getting to hold you, knowing that we're not going to get interrupted." She opened her eyes and looked directly into Abbie's. "I love you." She thought that she could stay like that forever, with Abbie on top of her and snow drifting past the window, making lazy circles in the air and building up in little piles at the edges of the window frames.

"I love you too," Abbie kissed Taylor, her fingers starting to work the other woman's shirt open. Her lips followed her touch, and she smiled against Taylor's warm skin, "You're mine...all mine, and you're home." Taylor always came home, even when Abbie didn't know she needed it.

"For weeks and weeks," Taylor chuckled and shifted to help Abbie with her task. She wriggled out of her shirt and ran her fingers through Abbie's hair, pulling it down from it ponytail. There was a low heat building in her stomach, not the uncontrollable desire that so often marked their encounters when they were younger, but something more sustainable, slower, but stronger, something capable of lasting.

Abbie felt Taylor shift and she sat back, looking down at the other woman, and running the flat of her palms appreciatively up her sides. "Perfect...you're perfect." She started to laugh quietly, leaning down again to kiss Taylor, lingering close. "And I think you know what I want now." There was just only so much that could satisfy her from a thousand miles away.

Taylor shared Abbie's laughter and gently pulled her down for a kiss. "I think you're doing a pretty good job of just taking what you want. I'd hate to interrupt you."

"Of course you wouldn't," And Abbie wasn't about to stop. She was pressing closer, kissing and nipping at any skin she could find. "There's just so much I want." Her voice was muffled against Taylor's neck, her throat, "I want you....and I want you to take me....and I want to have our life together...mmm, build a house…"

"Well, I think I can take care of a few of those things tonight." For some reason, she wasn't as tired as she had been earlier.

Abbie felt Taylor's pulse increase, and her own mimicked it automatically. She was glad Taylor didn't seem too put off. She smiled broadly, taking in the light in the blonde's eyes, "I think I like the sound of that."

"Maybe we should get up and go to bed?" Taylor raised her eyebrows in question. "Seems like that might be a more conducive place than this couch."

"You think?" Abbie laughed, but got up, "Better watch out though, Washington's making you all settled down." She smirked, "You never would have had the patience when we met."

"Oh no." She smirked. "I'm going to get too boring for you, aren't I?" Taylor got up and headed toward the bedroom, looking back over her shoulder to make sure that Abbie was following. She started unfastening her pants as she walked, and she stepped out of them as she reached the bedroom. Her bra was quick to follow, and suddenly she was naked, not having looked at Abbie once during her striptease.

Abbie followed after, biting her lip quietly. By the time she reached the bedroom after Taylor, she couldn't help herself, and she nearly leapt at Taylor's now bare form. She wrapped her long arms around the blonde, "Mmmmm...I hope not, but I have faith in you."

"Well, then I'll have to make sure I don't let you down." She pressed herself into Abbie, molding herself to the other woman's form. "But right now, you're wearing too much." She slowly unzipped the zipper on Abbie's skirt, hoping that Abbie would take care of her shirt herself. "I want to feel your skin against mine."

She stepped out of the skirt willingly, and reached for her shirt, pulling it up and off. "I should have put that on my list…"

"It's a good thing that I'm here to remind you about those sorts of things then." As soon as Abbie's shirt was off, Taylor unsnapped her bra and slid it off, letting Abbie pull her own panties off. Then she pulled back the covers on the bed and slid in, waiting for Abbie. "I hope this isn't too conventional for you."

Abbie went willingly, immediately wrapping herself in Taylor's arms. She smirked lightly, "I think that depends on what comes next."

Taylor was already rubbing her hands down Abbie's back. She closed her eyes as their skin fully came into contact and she kissed Abbie. "I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough of you." Her skin was tingling.

"Well darlin'," Abbie began, squirming in Taylor's arms, "you can have all there is." She tangled their legs together, trying to pull them closer together, but it was quite an impossibility.

"God," Taylor leaned in for another kiss, content to do nothing more than keep kissing Abbie for as long as Abbie could stand it. She brushed their lips together lightly before she intermittently deepened the kiss, teasing Abbie one second and giving her exactly what she wanted the next.

Taylor was playing her body perfectly, and Abbie's desire was building. She moaned quietly, rolling back and pulling Taylor over her. The weight of the other woman pressing her against the mattress was enough to make her gasp lightly, "Taylor...please..."

"Anything you want." Taylor kissed down to Abbie's nipples and started sucking on one of them as her fingers found their way between Abbie's legs, teasing their way between her lips and purposefully missing her clit. She simply touched Abbie lightly, skimming her fingers over sensitive skin.

Abbie groaned, moving under Taylor, trying to get the contact she needed. She knew Taylor was enjoying the wait, drawing out the moment, controlling just as much as Abbie was enjoying encouraging it. She breathed more quickly, "Anything?"

"Anything." Taylor slid her fingers into Abbie, moaning at how wet she was and shivering in pleasure. "Just tell me." She would always do anything in her power to make Abbie happy.

And Abbie was arching, pressing down onto Taylor's fingers, trying to force them further inside her. She was quickly moving past being able to say much at all, "God Taylor.." She pulled Taylor into a forceful kiss, "Yes..that...more.."

"That's not a very complicated request," she teased as she did as Abbie wanted, adding another finger and pushing them even further inside of her. She could feel Abbie's muscles contracting around them and she smiled as she finally brushed her thumb over Abbie's clit.

It only took a few more moments, and Abbie's fingers twisted in Taylor's hair roughly. "Shit...yes Taylor..." She panted, only then feeling the light sweat on their skin.

"Mmm..." Taylor wrapped herself around Abbie as she calmed, and suddenly all of her energy was gone, her eyes starting to drift closed. "D'you get what you wanted?" She slurred her words slightly as she nuzzled against Abbie's neck.

"Yes..." Abbie let out a long breath and settled against Taylor. Soon she felt Taylor's body relax, draped over her still, and the blonde's breath steady. She smiled and shook her head quietly, running her hands over Taylor's back, gently shifting her to her side. The other woman was warm, and her body already languid, and as Abbie settled beside her she felt a strong arm move to hold her out of unbreakable habit. She smiled in the dark at her own thoughts, content. Taylor would wake before she did, and Abbie was more than pleased at the prospect of being brought back from sleep in any way her partner might see fit.


	20. Requests

Abbie hopped up on the countertop, picking out a now room temperature rib from the take-out container. She swung her legs slightly as she picked at it, licking her fingers occasionally. "I think I like this arrangement." Taylor was putting their plates in the dishwasher. "I'll pick up dinner anytime." A drop of sauce fell on the floor before she could catch it, and Abbie looked at the stain on the tile, smirking, "Sorry...but...I think that also qualifies as cleanup duty Taylor."

Taylor chuckled and shook her head. "If you say so." She got a wet paper towel and wiped up the spot. She didn't mind really. If she was cleaning up after Abbie, it meant that she was home, and that was still novel enough to delight her. She poked Abbie in the ribs. "I'll make you dinner tomorrow night, and then you can clean up."

Abbie rolled her eyes and tossed the leftover bone in the trash. She laughed, "You've got yourself a deal...Congresswoman." It took a lot out of them to be running between DC and New York all year, but in the end it was worth it—it was who they were.

"If only all of my deals were so easily made." Taylor quickly finished cleaning the kitchen and set the dishwasher to come on a few hours later. She stole a quick kiss and grabbed them each another beer. The recess would be ending soon, but she couldn't help but let herself get used to this kind of normalcy again.

Taking hers, Abbie smiled as she tapped their bottles together. "Well maybe if you treated everyone as nicely as you do me...wait..." Abbie reached her legs around Taylor and pulled her closer. "...no...don't do that actually."

Taylor chuckled. "Are you sure?" She let her hands rest on Abbie's hips. "I mean, it might be tough, but I think I could pull it off."

"No. No really...just...don't" Abbie was laughing quietly, "I like to think of you waiting for me when you're out of town," She took a sip of her beer, smirking, "Waiting, thinking about me.." Abbie ran her fingers through Taylor's hair, "you do that for me, right?"

"Of course." Taylor smiled at the touch, leaning into it. "I think about you every day." She leaned forward and kissed Abbie. "And you know there wouldn't ever be anyone else." She rubbed her thumbs over Abbie's lower back. "One of you is more than enough for me."

Abbie tilted forward, taking her time in kissing Taylor fully. She could feel their breast's pressing lightly together, and her nipples were getting hard quickly. Abbie leaned back slightly, nipping at Taylor's lower lip as she pulled away. Abbie's voice was teasing, "You sure about that?"

"Completely," Taylor said, her eyes alight. She tried to catch Abbie, to keep her from pulling away, but she wasn't fast enough. "Do you doubt me?"

"I never doubt you." Abbie kissed Taylor again, her fingers starting to tug just subtly at the blonde's shirt, "But that's a little disappointing really…"

"Is it?" Taylor chuckled, letting Abbie do as she wanted, her own hands remaining still, back on Abbie's hips. "Did you want me to bring home an intern or something?" She leaned in for another kiss.

Abbie shook her head, "No...definitely not." She leaned back, putting her hands behind her on the counter and smirking at Taylor, "But I wouldn't mind a few kids at some point." Abbie laughed at the moment. "If you think you could manage that, of course."

"Kids, huh?" Taylor was surprised, but she laughed it off. "Well, I could always go get the strap-on and we could see what happens..." She smirked and started to pull away.

Abbie rolled her eyes and snaked a hand out to wrap in Taylor's shirt, yanking her back close and into a hungry kiss. Only once breathing was necessary, Abbie released the other woman's lips. A slow but expectant smile was spreading across her face, "Well, if that's the best you have to offer."

"I can sense that you're doubting my virility." Taylor chuckled and shook her head as she headed toward the bedroom. It only took her a second to change, pulling her pants off. But rather than returning like that, she took a moment to pull a pair of jeans on, fastening them over the strap-on. Her skin was flushed in anticipation and she had to measure her steps as she returned to the kitchen. She wanted to make Abbie wait just a bit.

Abbie watched Taylor walk away, and willed herself to stay put. It was obvious Taylor had a plan, and Abbie wasn't about to prevent her from it. She quietly licked the last traces of barbecue from her fingers as Taylor sauntered back to her. The bulge was obvious under the blonde's jeans, and Abbie's stomach dropped immediately.

Taylor pushed Abbie's legs apart with her hips, sliding her hands up Abbie's thighs. "Hey, babe." She squeezed Abbie's hips.

"Mmmn...hello, darlin'" Abbie not-quite-subtly slid forward and pressed against Taylor's jeans. Her fingers were itching to touch Taylor, but she just kissed her instead. Her hand dropped between their bodies, cupping the tight crotch of Taylor's pants in her palm.

"God," Taylor groaned and pushed into Abbie's hand, leaning in to capture her lips. She pushed her tongue between Abbie's lips and sucked on them as she rubbed the crotch of her jeans against Abbie's hand. "If you'll come back with me to my place, I'm sure I can show you a good time..." She smirked.

"Oh, you're such a charmer." Abbie leaned away to fix Taylor with a smirk, lacing her fingers behind the other woman's neck, "but that's quite a proposition."

"Come on." Taylor leaned in and kissed Abbie again before she started to move down her jaw and neck. She nipped at her throat. "Let me take you to bed. I promise you'll enjoy yourself." She nibbled at Abbie's collarbone, sliding her hands underneath Abbie's shirt.

"God...Taylor..." Abbie was quickly starting to enjoy herself, and locked her legs back around Taylor's waist, kissing her again, "Mmm....take me then." She had no doubt Taylor could make good on the promise.

"Sure thing, sugar." Taylor slid Abbie forward until she was carrying her. She headed toward the bedroom, arms securely around Abbie until they got to the bed and she could lay her down. She climbed on top of Abbie, pushing herself down.

Abbie laughed and stretched out under Taylor, ever more aware, more expectant. Her hands were feeling lower again, unzipping Taylor's jeans, pulling her close. She moaned, getting almost frantic with want. "Yes Taylor...please..."

"You got it, babe," She rubbed against Abbie as she unfastened Abbie's pants and pulled them off. She didn't bother to do more than that. She didn't need to. Abbie was already so wet that just slipping the dildo into her was easy. The tight jeans around her hips only heightened the sensation and she could feel them stretching as she pushed even closer.

Abbie moaned, mind already racing. Taylor was so sure, and it was exactly what would eventually sate the need that had been building all evening. She tangled their hands together, and pulled them above their heads. "Yes Taylor...harder.." Without thinking, Abbie had wrapped her legs around Taylor's hips, pushing her even further into her.

"If that's what you want." Taylor curled her hips forward, setting up an almost brutal rhythm, thrusting into Abbie just like she knew she wanted. She pressed down on Abbie's wrists, pinning her there. She was just as wet as Abbie and she could feel it soaking into her jeans, the seam pressing against her clit.

Abbie's breath was starting to catch, Taylor's force was so perfect. Taylor was pushing her, and the slight pain mingled with overwhelming pleasure. She kissed Taylor again, deeper, matching the other woman's force. "Taylor, please...please come in me...you'll make me.." It was the last request she could make before she was overwhelmed and her voice faded to a whimper, looking up at Taylor, her eyes pleading.

"Yeah, baby." Taylor kissed Abbie as hard as she could, pushing into her with greater and greater urgency. The angle was just right and she was getting closer and closer to her own climax. She let it come as she tightened her hands around Abbie's wrists, yelling out as she came and closing her eyes.

With just a glance at the expression on Taylor's features Abbie moaned, then fell silent as she finally came. The moment was slow, long, and incredibly satisfying. Finally, she let out a breath as her hands went slack, releasing the blonde's fingers. The weight on her was pleasant, though she could already feel the soreness that was growing between her legs from Taylor's force. "God..." her voice was low, still breathless.

"Yeah..." Taylor rolled off of Abbie and immediately pulled her into her arms. She was going to have to get up and get undressed, but it could wait a few minutes. She grinning impishly. "Impressed yet?"

Abbie brushed her hair back, it was sticking to her slightly sweaty skin. She walked her fingers under Taylor's shirt to touch her warm skin, smiling at the other woman, "I think you know me well enough to be able to answer that question yourself. But if you'd like to hear it, then yes," She kissed Taylor lazily, "completely and utterly." Abbie paused then to pull off her shirt, laying back next to Taylor, tone growing lower, more sincere, "And you know I wasn't entirely jokin' earlier." She let the comment hang, unsure of what the reaction would be.

"Really?" Taylor knew exactly which comment she was talking about and couldn't conceal her surprise. "We've seriously never talked about having children..." She took Abbie's hand and kissed her palm before she had to roll away and pull her pants and the harness off. They had both gotten incredibly uncomfortable.

"I know, but we don't have to talk now if you don't want to." It had gotten late, and Abbie didn't want to ruin the moment. She knew Taylor liked to work things over in her own time. She slid under the covers, waiting for Taylor to join her, and moving her tone back to teasing, "Anyway, after tonight I wouldn't be surprised if I started getting cravings for pickles and ketchup...or losing my breakfast in the mornings." She laughed and held out an arm to the blond.

Taylor smiled as she took her shirt off and rolled back into Abbie's arms. "Just... I'm going to have to think about it for a little while." She kissed Abbie lightly. "And if you do start craving random things, let me know. There are a few reporters that I want to call."

"Well if that's the case darlin'…" she couldn't help but laugh, "we're keeping the child, because it's surely our savior." Glad Taylor didn't seem entirely in shock, Abbie wrapped her arms more tightly around Taylor, stroking her hair.

"Or the antichrist." Taylor smirked again as she turned out the lights.


	21. Mortality

Abbie felt herself flash cold, and she sank into a chair. Taylor was in the bathroom getting the last few things before they flew back to DC. The winter recess was almost over, and Abbie wanted to spend a few days there with her before she got busy. She set the phone down, still not quite believing why she had been called. "Taylor?" Her voice was quiet as she put down the phone. "Taylor, I don't think I can go with you."

Taylor stepped out of the bathroom, alerted by Abbie's tone that something was wrong, though she couldn't imagine what it might be. "Abbie? What happened?" She went to Abbie's side and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Nora collapsed at the end of her lecture today. She's in the hospital." She shook her head and stood, unsteadily herself. "I just don't understand; they said she had me as her emergency contact...I...Taylor, she doesn't have anyone else close enough to call." That Nora and she had been close was true, very true, but Abbie had no idea how that had lasted in Nora's mind.

"God." Taylor reached out steady Abbie, squeezing her shoulder. "Of course. Do you want me push back the trip? I can come with you." She hadn't particularly been close to Nora, but she knew that Abbie had been…if Abbie needed her to stay, then she would.

"What? Oh, no, Taylor, you should go. You have so much to do." She straightened, trying to compose herself so Taylor wouldn't get stubborn and refuse to leave her, though she was still shaking inside. "I'm fine, but I should go see her."

"Alright." Taylor squeezed her shoulder again. "Let me call you a cab, okay?" At Abbie's nod of assent, she dialed a phone number and quickly spoke to an operator. "Someone'll be here in a few minutes. Do you want me to come down and wait with you?"

"No…" Abbie kissed Taylor's cheek, smiling more bravely than she felt, "No...I'm fine, you don't have long or you'll miss your flight."

"Okay." Taylor nodded and let Abbie go. If anything happened, she knew Abbie would call her, and right now, the only thing she could do was to let Abbie handle things her own way. A few years earlier and she might have tried to take over the situation, telling herself that it was for Abbie's own good. Now, she knew better. She trusted Abbie to deal with it herself and tell her if she needed anything.

*****

Abbie shivered at how immediately a sense could revive a long buried memory. The moment the scent of the hospital hit her, she started to sweat lightly, her body ready to flee. Room 451 was just down the hall now, and the florescent lights beat down on her as carts and staff brushed past. Soon she was hovering at the doorway, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. Nora looked somehow much older than the last time Abbie had seen her. Her eyes were closed, and the monitors behind the bed hummed and beeped in monotone. Suddenly, she wondered if she might just leave—come back later when she was feeling more prepared, but then Nora's eyes opened and met hers. Abbie forced a small smile, hoping her voice wouldn't fail her.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" She finally managed to step into the room fully, closing the door behind herself.

"Tired," Nora said softly. She managed to smile with her usual warmth, but the stiffness in Abbie's worried her. The brunette's eyes were nearly wild with fear and worry. "They shouldn't have called you; I'm sorry." She watched Abbie linger at the closed door, as if she was afraid to really enter, and Nora shook her head. "It's all right, Abbie."

Abbie shook herself, and pulled over a chair to sit by the bed. Slowly, she shook her head. It was the first time she'd seen past what Nora wanted to show of herself, and Abbie found it sobering, nearly unsettling. "Nora, who else should they have called?"

There was a reason she had listed Abbie. Nora had meant to tell her, but some things were so intensely private. She hadn't thought there would be any need to use Abbie as an emergency contact anyway, and she merely shook her head. Her hair was a mess, and the air was too dry; even in her worst moments, Abbie had not seen her like this. Still, she reached out for Abbie's hand, offering comfort instead of seeking it. "It was a mild heart attack," she said quietly. "Not as bad as what they were expecting, but..." Nora shook her head again. It wasn't something she had ever expected.

Abbie watched as Nora tried to pull herself together somewhat, to justify her actions though they both knew it wasn't necessary. Finally, she took a breath. "Well I'm glad for that, but really you need to be careful." She thought of Nora's life, or what little she knew of it, and was startled to find herself thinking that Nora had been lucky she'd been in public at the time. She didn't want to think of the alternative. The thought was startling, as was her instinct to call Taylor and ask when she could get a flight to go with her to DC. Even the notion made her feel immediately selfish.

"It was..." A wisp of a smile crossed Nora's face as she ran her thumb over the back of Abbie's hand. "It was quite a surprise." She withdrew, then, as fatigue began to settle over her. Nora couldn't keep her face bright, but she smiled apologetically anyway. "But you're right...you're right. I will, Abbie." She met the brunette's dark eyes, and Nora could not help but think back to the times Abbie had so needed her. She had given what she could, hoping that it would help, and now she was grateful simply not to be alone. "I won't keep you long, I promise. They say I'll be able to manage, as long as I get rest."

As she watched Nora grow quiet, the familiar tightness in Abbie's throat returned.. She just nodded, knowing she wouldn't-shouldn't stay much longer, and without really thinking about it, leaned closer to rest her head on the cool white bed sheets. Even these smelled the same as she remembered, and Abbie had to blink as a few tears began to sting her eyes.

Without a moment of hesitation, Nora began to stroke Abbie's dark hair, the familiarity settling her. She closed her eyes to the glare of the room, fingers working steadily through Abbie's hair. "I'm all right, Abbie," she repeated. She had been scared, but hearing it, saying it to Abbie made her feel calmer. The reality of Abbie's presence was soothing in the reminder of their once routines. "But thank you for coming."

After a few more hushed exchanges, and long moments, Nora had drifted back to sleep. Abbie was almost reluctant to move, still confronting the past, recapturing it in her own way. Finally, though she relented and slowly moved to stand, so not as to wake the other woman. Abbie found a scrap of paper in her bag, and quickly wrote down her cell and Taylor's number in DC, and placed it by the bed where Nora would be sure to find it. She didn't need to leave a proper note- they both knew Abbie would welcome a call when Nora was feeling better, and expect one if she wasn't. A few more moments, and a painfully slow elevator ride, and Abbie was standing back in the cold city air, nearly gasping for breath. Her panic had been abated for the moment, so Abbie reached for her phone to call Taylor. Even given the striking change in position, what she had with Nora was still there.

*****

Under normal circumstances, Taylor wouldn't have bothered to go to the airport to meet Abbie, but this wasn't normal. She could hear the strain in Abbie's voice, the strain that she had been trying to hide, so rather than getting someone to pick her up, Taylor had gotten in a cab and come herself. She was waiting just on the other side of security, keeping close watch for Abbie's arrival and trying not to pace.

And while Abbie had protested Taylor coming herself, she couldn't deny that her face was the most welcome sight she could have imagined. She had spent the flight trying to calm down and rationalize—Nora was going to be alright, at least according to the doctor she had pulled aside in the hallway on her way out. Still, she felt shaken, small, and did her best not to just fold into Taylor's arms the moment she reached her. "Hey, you didn't have to stop your day just to come get me you know." Abbie did her best to smile. "It's good to see you though."

"I haven't been here long enough to get busy." Taylor's smile was stronger than Abbie's as she pulled her into her arms, knowing that Abbie needed the contact, even if she wasn't yet ready to admit it. "Nora's okay?" Her concern was both for the other woman and for the effect that such a trauma would have on Abbie.

Abbie paused, breathing in comfort from Taylor before starting to walk out to the curb. "Yeah, I suppose. They said she'll be moving slowly for awhile but it could have been worse." The cab driver took her small carry-on bag, and Abbie slipped into the car after Taylor, taking her hand again. "But Taylor...it was so hard to see her like that. And they called me, not her family, not a partner, me. God, I hadn't even kept in touch really." Abbie trailed off, not quite sure she was even making sense anymore.

Taylor put an arm around Abbie's shoulder as she told the cab driver the address. "I know." She kissed Abbie's temple lightly. "Maybe she felt that you would have the clearest head in an emergency?" She couldn't really begin to guess at Nora's motivations, but clearly she still felt close to Abbie, even if that closeness was based more in the past than the present.

Abbie sighed, watching out the window of the car, "Maybe, but that sure isn't the truth. I was there to see her, see if she was alright, and all I could think about was ..." Abbie shrugged. "Just...I don't like hospitals."

"Well, we'll be home soon." Taylor tightened her arm around Abbie, trying to provide what support she could. "And I'll see what I can do to help you stop worrying."

She just nodded quietly, lost for the rest of the ride in her own thoughts. She hadn't been prepared, not at all to revisit the thoughts now swirling in her mind. She'd been too young, or maybe just a few years too old. Either way, the fears were lasting, no matter how many years Abbie had to try and lock the memories away, burying them under the constant minutia of daily life. She barely noticed when the car stopped, and Taylor pulled her out.

Taylor waited until she got Abbie into their suite before she attempted to find out just what was really bothering her. She guided Abbie into a chair and ordered delivery, then joined Abbie on the couch. "Now, are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I…yes, but what did you order for dinner?" It was a silly question, but Abbie suddenly found herself wanting a peanut butter sandwich. For months it seemed like that was about all she'd lived on, and her father too for that matter since he could barley manage to find much in the kitchen on his own. Had her brothers been there, it would have been different, but the Carmichael family was too stubborn- too pragmatic to bring them home from school until it was almost too late.

"Chinese—did you want me to get something else?" Taylor kissed Abbie's temple and wrapped her arms around her. "I can call back and cancel."

"Oh, no. No, that's fine." Abbie's voice was quiet but steady, and she leaned against Taylor, quietly toying with the soft fabric of her shirt. "I think it's been over fifteen years now." She paused for a long moment, "God, that's a long time." Yet it seemed so close, vivid. She had been so sure of life then, even in a crisis. Abbie felt like she was looking her sixteen year-old self in the eye, seeing determination there like she hadn't felt since. It wasn't the bravado or confidence she could muster now- it was something else, the power you have over life when you have no idea what's really out there to stop you, until it does.

Taylor simply held Abbie, leaving her to her thoughts. It was clear now just where Nora's crisis had sent Abbie's mind. "Your mother?" Abbie had never really talked about her mother's death beyond the most superficial comments.

Abbie nodded again against Taylor, "Yes. Taylor, I don't know why this bothers me so much..." Abbie sighed inwardly; of course she knew exactly why—there had been a very small but strong part of her that had wanted to see Nora that way. It was safer, because presumably Nora would have her own life, her own family in such a moment. Maybe Abbie had always known it was selfish, but she'd needed it. She shuddered quietly, Taylor felt so strong beside her, and that was becoming enough for Abbie, it had to.

"It's okay." Taylor kissed Abbie's temple and pulled a blanket from the back of the couch, wrapping Abbie up in it. "You're close to Nora, and no one wants to think about the mortality of the people they love." She didn't know that there was anything she could say that would really make Abbie feel better, but she was going to offer whatever comfort she could.

"I know." Abbie looked at Taylor, and then finally couldn't hold back a quiet sob. _Taylor too…nothing is forever._ The thought crossed her mind, and she immediately tried to push it away. She coughed as she tried to speak again, "I'm sorry, it's getting late," she said, even though it wasn't, "I shouldn't be keeping you up." Still, Abbie wasn't ready to let go, and made no move to do so.

"Stop worrying about how busy I am." Taylor kept her arms around Abbie, guiding her head to her shoulder. "There's nothing more important to me than you. And it would be a waste of perfectly good Chinese, which should be here any second." She forced a smile.

Abbie blinked hard, trying to focus. Something about the moment made her let go of the barriers she would normally keep to make life simple enough to enjoy. "Taylor, what about you? I mean, your mother." Abbie realized just how strange it was that there were things that even she and Taylor didn't talk about.

Taylor took a deep breath, sensing that she was stepping onto some kind of unstable ground without knowing the path across. "I don't remember her." She swallowed and buried her nose in Abbie's hair. "Or, I don't remember a time when she ever felt like my mother. She disappeared a few months after I was born, she just... left. I didn't see her again until I was a teenager."

Abbie looked straight ahead, she couldn't imagine meeting someone who was so important after so long. Taylor still didn't talk much about her, much less keep up any sort of relationship that she could tell. "I'm sorry Taylor, really."

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about." She occasionally got a card at Christmas, when her mother could remember, and she always sent one in return, when she had an address, but otherwise, they simply didn't talk. If her mother's disappearance had caused her any pain, she had already gotten over it. "Besides, I think dinner is here." She got up just at the knock on the door came and let the routine busy her.

Abbie watched Taylor go, then wiped her eyes quickly and followed her into the kitchen. Taylor was already putting the food on plates, and Abbie felt a subtle calm fall over the room. More had been shared than said, and it wouldn't be the last time. She slid into a seat at the small table, "Thanks, Taylor, I'm really glad to be here tonight."

"I am too." Taylor forced a smile as she put a plate in front of Abbie and took her own seat, trying to use the hot food to push troubled thoughts from her mind.


	22. Disaster

Drew had been running her fingers through her hair so obsessively that her scalp was beginning to hurt, but she kept doing it as she rode back up the elevator. It was bright out and had finally stopped snowing, but she knew Cammie would still be in her room. And she knew that even though she'd left hours ago, so no one would see her, it wouldn't really matter then. She held the magazine crunched in her hands. And her mind was racing so much that the bell sounding that she'd arrived at the floor scared her. She fumbled with her keys, and just as soon as she got it open, Drew was talking. "Cammie...Cammie, we have to talk..."

Cammie had a shirt on, but she hadn't yet bothered to put on a skirt. The early phone call had interrupted her and now she couldn't really see the point of getting dressed. She didn't look at Drew as she came into the room. She wasn't really looking at anything. She didn't realize that she was still holding the telephone or that her laptop was sitting open on the table next to her.

"I'm sorry to come back in the middle of the morning, but..." Drew was already straightening the magazine, holding it out. Then she took a breath to take in the scene. And instantly she knew she was too late to do anything. She looked to the phone and Cammie's laptop before looking back up at her face. "Cammie..."

Cammie finally looked up, finally looked at Drew's face. She held out her hand for the magazine. "It comes out this morning, doesn't it?" She looked at the cover of the magazine. At least her picture wasn't on the cover, but that would probably change. She flipped through until she got to the article. "Someone emailed it to my chief of staff in the middle of the night. He read it when he woke up this morning and called me." Objectively, she knew she was still in shock, but that didn't change anything.

"I'm so sorry." Drew sank down to the sofa. She'd read the article twice before she could really believe what the words said. The picture wasn't near paparazzi level—it was much better than that—but she could remember how many glasses of wine she'd had with dinner that night, how it was late and they had let themselves hold hands for just a moment as they walked out. At least the picture didn't show that. Cammie hadn't been able to avoid a short interview with Cassidy Blaine sometime the week they had had that dinner. And Drew was pretty sure nothing from that interview made it into the article in front of him. "God, I...I had no idea. One of our interns is dating one of the magazine's interns, and she was waiting for me when I got in..." She continued, almost desperate, because she knew nothing she said would help. "Cammie..."

She slowly looked through the article. "You know," she licked her lips, "this picture of us actually pretty good." She ran her fingers over the picture of Drew's face, them at some obscure bar, eating dinner. Alone, it was innocent enough, but with the article, it was easy to imagine just where Drew's hand was under the table. "There weren't any pictures in the email."

"I'm so sorry," she said again, a whisper this time. She gently took the phone out of Cammie's hand and pulled her into her arms. It was a completely futile gesture. Had she known earlier, she could have stopped it. Had she not insisted on going out that night, it might not have happened at all.

Cammie shook her head. "There's nothing you could have done. It... It was inevitable, really." She ran a hand through her hair. "I need to get ready to go in." She stood, pulling away from Drew, retreating into herself. It was the only way that she thought she would be able to get through the day. "Do you know where my skirt is?"

Drew stood quickly and grabbed the skirt from the back of the sofa where it had been neatly draped. She watched, eyes wide with worry. "Why don't you just stay in today...you can work from here. I'll rearrange my schedule..."

"What?" That was enough to focus Cammie's mind. "No. I can't just hide from this. It isn't going to go away if I stay here for the day, and Taylor won't appreciate it if I steal her chief of staff." She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry Drew. I'm sorry that you're going to get dragged into this. I know it isn't what you wanted." She pulled on her skirt and zipped it up, then reached for her jacket. "I need to get going. I'm going to be late as it is."

"Okay..." Drew gaped for a moment. She expected Cammie to fall apart at any moment, but that had been completely coherent, completely controlled. It worried her more. "I'll...look, I'll see you tonight. We'll figure this out."

"If that's what you want." Cammie closed her laptop and slid it into it's case before she grabbed her phone. "I'll probably be at the office until late, so if I'm not here, I'll be there." Cammie grabbed her keys and opened the door. She wanted to get out before anyone decided to try to find her at home.

"Yeah..." Drew ran her fingers through her hair again and winced. "Hey..." She grabbed Cammie's arm, tugging her back and into a soft kiss. "I'm here, okay..."

"Okay. Lock up before you leave." Cammie nodded before she walked out and closed the door behind herself.

Drew sank back down to the sofa and put her head in her hands. She gave it a couple of hours before everything started to fall apart. And before that happened, she needed to take care of some things. She sighed, waiting long enough for Cammie to get out of the building before heading to work herself.


	23. Interlude

Annie hung up the phone and as much as she wanted to turn on the TV, she didn't. She was going to have to tell the boys, make sure that they didn't talk to any reporters that might get curious enough to come all of that way. Cammie had sounded fine, but she knew better than that. She knew how much hurt that calm voice could hide. She was hurt too, hurt on Cammie's behalf. She didn't know what had gone wrong, but there was only one thing she could think of that had changed in Cammie's life. She dialed a number that she hadn't wanted Cammie to give her in the first place.

"Hello...Cammie?" After ignoring more than her fair share of calls that day Drew simply answered because she recognized the area code. Two seconds later, when her mind caught up, she knew it was probably a bad idea. They had reporters in Wyoming too.

"No, it's her... it's her sister." She steeled herself. "I just... What happened? What the hell happened?" Her voice was already shaking. "Why did you do it? What do you have to prove and why the hell did it have to involve Cammie?"

"I'm sorry?" Drew sat up straighter and clutched the phone to her ear. She could hear the anger, the frustration in Annie's voice. She had heard it in Cammie's, but even then it hadn't been directed so solely at her. "I don't know what you've been reading, but I can assure you that this isn't my doing..."

"There's no point in you lying to me." Annie lashed out. "Cammie was getting along just find before you came along. I can put two and two together."

"Look...I've done everything..._everything_ to respect Cammie to keep this secret. She shook her head as if Annie could see it. "I would never hurt her this way. I love her too much for that."

Annie scoffed. "You were just using her. I don't know how, but you are. Are you enjoying all of this publicity? Has it been good for your career?"

"My career is just fine without Cammie or her secrets," Drew retorted, rising to it in spite of herself. She pursed her lips. "I know you don't like me, okay? I know you aren't okay with who Cammie is, but I can't believe you'd accuse me of this." She could feel the blood rushing to her ears as her voice rose. "I would have stopped this if I'd known, and I can't believe you...I just...Christ...I _love_ her."

Annie's face was turning red. "Shut up. Just shut up." She shook her head, trying to fight back tears. "You've ruined her life. I hope you realize that." She didn't let Drew retort. She just hung up.

Drew was prepared to yell, but the click of the receiver completely deflated her. She leaned back and squeezed the bridge of her nose, trying to stave off tears. It didn't work, and she ended up curled against the arm of her sofa wishing she could simply just make it better.


	24. Midnight Snack

The delay had become a canceled flight, the canceled flight had become a standby ticket, and the snowstorm did its best to stop even that. Abbie had long given up hope of getting to DC that night—had told Taylor not to wait up. Yet, a sudden change in the winds and a determined pilot had let her make it anyway. Now it was nearly 2 AM as she slipped into the bedroom. Taylor was sleeping soundly, and Abbie smiled to see her in one of her old tee shirts. As much as Taylor made fun of the color—Abbie caught them tossed in the laundry whenever they were apart too long. As quietly as she could, Abbie shed her clothes, letting them drop onto the floor. Her exhaustion began to abate as she slipped into bed, only pausing for a moment to consider before moving to cover Taylor's sleeping form. The blond was warm and soft, and Abbie pressed her lips to her collarbone, tangling her bare legs through her partner's. She missed Taylor so much, and she felt so good—Abbie wasn't about to wait for Taylor to wake, her hands were already pushing the soft cotton of the shirt up over her ribs as her lips moved up the blonde's neck.

Taylor shivered in her sleep at the suddenly cold hands on her sides and the suddenly cold feet pressing into her calves. "Abbie?" Her voice was still thick as she started to wake up and her eyes were little more than slits. Still, she pressed into the body in bed with her. There was no way that anyone else could have gotten into the room.

"Shhh.." Abbie muttered before kissing Taylor soundly, opening her mouth and sliding her tongue past the other woman's teeth. She didn't take the time to break away and pull Taylor's shirt off completely, instead reaching down to tug off her shorts, pushing them the rest of the way off with her feet. Finally content with the feel of Taylor naked under her, Abbie let out a low moan into the blonde's mouth.

"Mmmm." Taylor let her eyes close again, even as she was becoming more and more alert. She wrapped her arms and legs around Abbie and held her close. "Thought you were stuck in New York," she mumbled between kisses, very glad that that clearly wasn't the case.

"Not anymore..." Abbie's voice was deep, heated, and she rolled back quickly, pulling Taylor over her. She was already close just feeling Taylor on her, having been thinking about this moment since the plane had touched down safely an hour earlier. "Need you..." She kissed Taylor's ear, licking it after, "...now."

"Awfully demanding for someone who just woke me up." Taylor pushed her thigh up between Abbie's as she pulled her closer, running her hands down Abbie's sides. She didn't think that she would ever get tired of Abbie whispering things like that to her.

"Awfully smug for someone who's already quite awake." Abbie could feel Taylor's growing wetness on her skin, and she nipped at her neck between quickening breaths.

"Smug huh?" Taylor slipped a hand between their bodies and found Abbie's clit, rubbing it quickly. This wasn't exactly a night for them to take their time.

"Ohhh...." Abbie pressed back against the pillows. Her breath was already catching in the back of her throat. "Yes..." That her reaction was only going to prove Taylor's point didn't matter in the slightest.

"Seems like I have a reason to be." Taylor kisses Abbie deeply and kept touching her, trying to push her over the edge.

Abbie let out a quiet cry as she let herself go- giving up all the tension of the long day, the longer week. Finally, she pulled Taylor in and kissed her deeply, "Mmm...God I missed you Taylor..."

Taylor chuckled as she held Abbie in her arms. "I couldn't tell." She brushed her nose against Abbie's cheek and kissed under her ear. "I've missed you too."

"It's late.." Abbie let a ghost of a smile cross her lips lazily, "I'm sure you have a busy day in the morning- you should really get some sleep."

"Not a chance in hell." Taylor pinched Abbie's ass and then rolled them over.

Abbie squirmed, smile growing wider as she found herself on top of Taylor again. "Well I suppose the least I could do is help you relax." She was already ducking under the blankets, and working her lips down Taylor's body.

"Mmhmm." Taylor tangled her fingers into Abbie's hair and encouraged her to keep going, squirming at feeling of Abbie's fingertips on her thighs and her breath across her stomach.

Under the covers, Abbie smiled and closed her eyes, letting Taylor subtly guide her where she wanted. She moaned quietly at the tightening fingers in her hair, the familiar way Taylor slid her thighs over her shoulders. Hearing Taylor, feeling her squirm just slightly only made Abbie lick her more intently. It was like they were never apart.

Abbie's mouth was hot against her and it was getting harder and harder to control her moans. She pressed up against Abbie's tongue as her climax washed over her, then desperately pulled her up for a kiss, needing to feel her close and shivering at the taste of herself on Abbie's lips.

They lay together, kissing as they both calmed. Nothing more really needed to be said, and Abbie sighed, finally resting her head on Taylor's shoulder. Already, her breath was evening, limbs growing heavy from the exhaustion of the day.

Taylor pressed one last kiss to Abbie's forehead before she pulled the blankets even tighter around them. She could hear the wind picking up outside and already wasn't looking forward to having to face it in the morning. But having Abbie there made the prospect just a bit more tolerable.


	25. Steps

Drew took a deep breath when she saw Cammie through the open barn door. As if getting a rental that had a flat halfway there wasn't enough, Cammie hadn't answered her door, and there was no way in hell Drew remembered how to get to her sister's. She tried to clear her mind, though, and calm her irritation. That wasn't how this was supposed to start. It certainly hadn't ended well the last time they saw each other. "I didn't know baby cows were so...charming," Drew said as she took a step towards Cammie and calf. It was...cut enough but awkward. And animals freaked Drew out.

Cammie gave the calf one more pat on the head before she let it go and looked up at Drew. She got to her feet just as slowly. "That one was sick, but she's getting better." Cammie stuck her hands into the front pockets of her jeans. "What brings you to Wyoming? Did Taylor need something?" She had been answering the phone only sporadically, trusting what was left of her staff to take care of anything important.

Drew licked her lips as she crossed her arms. She didn't expect Cammie to be so flat out cold. She didn't really know what she expected. "Taylor let me take some time. I came to see you."

"Oh." Cammie scuffed her toe into the dirt. She didn't know why she hadn't anticipated that. She kept standing there awkward for a long time before she pulled her hands out of her pockets. "We should go inside, or something, then." She looked down one more time to check on the calf before she headed out of the barn and toward the house.

"Yeah..." Drew ran her fingers through her hair. "I thought... You wouldn't answer my calls, Cammie. I didn't know what else to do."

Cammie opened the backdoor and started washing her hands. "Sorry. I've been... distracted, I guess." And she hadn't wanted to hear whatever Drew was going to say to her. She was sure it wasn't good, and on top of everything else... Even wanting to hear Drew's voice hadn't been worth it. "If you want to yell at me, I guess if you've come all this way, the least I can do is let you."

"I don't want to yell at you..." Drew rolled her eyes. At least, she hadn't wanted to yell at Cammie, but that much was starting to change quickly. "But don't you think we need to talk. You just...ran away." She knew the word choice wasn't perfect, but Drew was done walking on eggshells. They had to deal with this, with them at some point.

Cammie shrugged. She knew exactly what she had done. "I just figured that there wasn't much left to talk about." She purse her lips. Drew had made it clear in the past what she thought about Cammie not being out, and getting in the middle of the nightmare that the press had made of everything didn't seem like something Drew would tolerate.

"_Cammie_, you got outed...I didn't know that meant we were automatically breaking up so you could prove you straightness or something!" Her cheeks pinked, and Drew could feel the blood rushing in her ears. But she couldn't take it back. Like this whole situation, she could have handled everything so much more smoothly, but fate wouldn't have it.

"I'm not trying to prove that I'm straight. It's a little late for that." She slammed the side of her fist against the counter top in frustration. "I came home because I didn't know what else to do or where else to go and I figured you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me." There were tears in her eyes, but she furiously brushed them away.

"Because...people know that you're a lesbian now?" Drew shook her head in frustration. She didn't understand the way Cammie thought. She never had, and she knew she should have probably steered clear after the first night. But she kept coming back. She took flights to the middle of nowhere Wyoming because she couldn't resist. She couldn't stop loving Cammie. "Can you please just...take a second to breathe and think about what you're saying?"

"I don't want to take a second. I've been taking seconds ever since this came out and just breathing isn't working anymore. I don't know how I'm supposed to be calm when I just lost _everything_. That was the only job I ever wanted and I was _happy_ and now I'm never going to get to do it again." Cammie was still yelling, getting closer and closer to outright tears. "And don't tell me that you're suddenly going to be willing to move to Wyoming and give it all up with me, because I know that's not true. It doesn't matter how much I love you when it's all just going to fall apart in 6 months anyway." It was just what happened. It had happened before and it was going to happen again. She wrapped her arms around herself and stepped away from Drew, though she couldn't bring herself to run again.

Stunned, Drew gaped for a moment before putting her hands on her hips. "Right now, you've still got your job, and you sure as hell aren't doing it," she quipped. "And I really don't know what's going to happen after that because you seem to be assuming a hell of a lot without even trying to talk to me. Do you really want this to end that badly, Cammie? Is that what you want?"

"I don't know what I want." Her voice was hoarse and her throat was tight and she just couldn't do it anymore. She sank to the floor and buried her face in her arms as she started crying.

"I want you," Drew said quietly as she sank down next to Cammie and wrapped her arms around her. "Okay? I don't know about the rest...but I want you..."

Cammie turned into Drew's arms, pressing her face into Drew's shoulders. Now that she had started crying, it seemed impossible to stop. She clung to Drew, feeling her own hot tears against Drew's skin.

"I'm here, Cammie." Drew held her tighter and kissed her hair, all of her anger simply fading as she stroked Cammie's back. "I'm here...and we'll...we'll figure it out."


	26. First Class

Taylor flexed her shoulders, trying to stretch them without hitting Drew in the face or banging her hand into the bulkhead of the airplane. Two hours into an eight hour flight and she was already starting to feel the forced confinement. She had plenty of things that she needed to be working on, but none of them could really hold her attention, and it was far too early to try to get any sleep. She twisted her neck as she started to pull the pins from her hair, toeing her shoes off at the same time. Drew looked very focused over her laptop, and Taylor wondered just how long that was going to last.

"At the rate you're going, you might as well get a drink," Drew said without looking up. She pushed her shoulder blades together until she was satisfied by a series of pops. Between being in a confined space and her desire not to think about her personal life, she was getting quite a few things done. Taylor, though, had checked out just about the time they taxied out.

"How do you do that?" Taylor shook her head at the ease at which Drew got her back to pop, then reached for the call button. "And I was seriously thinking about. Do you want anything?" She flexed her feet against the floor and seriously thought about how annoyed her fellow passengers would get if she walked up and down the aisle a few times.

"I...whatever you're having," Drew said distractedly as she played with the formatting of her document. "And I don't know...I just do it...Cammie absolutely hates it." She laughed to herself, not really realizing that she was doing it.

"Mmm." Taylor asked for two vodkas on the rocks when the flight attendant appeared. "That looked better the way you had it before." She pointed to Drew's screen, obviously looking over her shoulder, but she couldn't keep the soft smile from her face. Part of her was surprised that Drew and Cammie had managed to make it through everything, but she was glad that they had. "How's she doing? Is she going to accept that job with the Environmental Defense League?" The rumors said as much, but Taylor hadn't heard anything for sure.

"She's going to if she knows what's good for her," Drew muttered as she closed her computer a little too loudly just in time for the vodkas to appear. She took hers with more interest than she had shown in ordering it and took a long sip. "She's...muddling through, I guess. She's still made at me for going off on Cassidy or whatever the hell her name is."

Taylor shrugged. "I probably would have done the same thing, if someone had come after Abbie like that." And she knew without a doubt that Abbie's response would have been even less measured.

"I just keep telling myself to grit my teeth and remember that she'll appreciate it someday...I guess." Drew sighed and let her head fall back against the seat. "We're still together, and that's...it's a big thing for her."

"I'm sure she will." Taylor sipped her own drink and slumped in her seat. "How are you holding up?" Drew might not be facing any immediate repercussions from the article, but she was still right in the middle of it, and the reporters had been just as interested in following her around for weeks.

"I'm fine...why wouldn't I be?" Drew realized she had gulped down the vodka and she frowned into the glass. "Just busy...could be busier if you would make my life easier and make a really early decision about reelection." She licked her lips as she pressed the call button to order another.

"Abbie and I are talking about it." Or they would be, eventually. "And having questions shouted at you every time you step foot in public is never fun." And she couldn't imagine what the conversations with Cammie were like. But she wasn't going to pry. If Drew wanted to talk about it, she would.

"Who do you think gets shouted at when you hide out with your supermodel wife after you do something people don't like." Drew smirked as she turned her attention to the flight attendant, ordering two more drinks.

Taylor raised her eyebrows as she accepted the drink. "Do you have a problem with how I run my office?"

Blinking, Drew tried to hold back a laugh. "Did you...lose your sense of humor somewhere between the campaign and now?"

Taylor sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Maybe I did. Sorry." She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. "It's been a long month." But at least she and Abbie were supposed to get away for a weekend at the end of it.

"I know...we all need a vacation." Drew took a long sip and smiled. "Fortunately, you've got time for one."

"Nothing's stopping you from taking one too. You have a deputy. He can run the office for a week if you want to get out of town." Taylor smirked. "You should drag Cammie someplace romantic, a beach or back to New York or something. If I do decide to run again, we're all going to be busy again soon enough."

"I..." Drew shook her head as she looked down into her glass. "I don't think we're ready for that right now. The last thing she wants is to be taken away. She's...yeah, it's not a good idea."

Ah." Taylor nodded in understanding, putting a hand on Drew's forearm and squeezing it. "Are you sure everything's alright?"

"Yeah..." Drew took a long pause as she thought about it. They were working through it. Cammie was learning how to live with actually walking into her hotel with Drew by her side. But she wasn't entirely comfortable yet. "We're working through it."

"Good." She rubbed Drew's arm before returning to her drink. "You should still take some time before things get crazy again, even if it's just a couple of days of sleeping in."

"I think i definitely will. I'm sure you'll come back from your trip with Abbie...refreshed." She couldn't help but wink, but that was probably the punchiness she was feeling from the drinks.

Taylor's laughter echoed off of the bulkhead. "God, never wink at me like that again. And we're gonna hope for refreshed and not trying to kill each other."

"So, I guess winking only works if its coming from a leggy brunette in panties that have your logo on them?" Drew could have kicked herself for saying it, but instead, she couldn't stop laughing. She was pretty sure everyone else in first class hated her guts right about then.

"I don't want to know how you know about those." Taylor was laughing and shaking her head.

Drew sat up straighter, her grin growing almost impossibly wide. "You...had no idea that I set that up?"

"It wasn't something that I wanted to think about." Taylor could feel her cheeks getting hot, but she was blaming the alcohol for that.

"Relax, Taylor. It's not like Abbie gave me all the details of your sex life." She smirked as she considered what she was about to say next. It was a supremely bad idea, but if she blamed the vodka, she could explain why she just couldn't help herself. "So you like putting your name on things," she said, shrugging. "I get it."

"That's...yeah... You know, I'm just going to put my headphones on and try to take a nap." Drew was trying desperately not to laugh. It was so rare to see Taylor caught in such a moment, and she was thoroughly satisfied at having caused it.

"Yeah. Because if this keeps up, I'm going to have to fire you, and I don't want to have to do that." Taylor shook her head and pushed her own chair back, fully intending to try to sleep as well.


	27. Other Offers

Drew licked her lips and put her hands on her hips, glancing around as Cammie's secretary rummaged for a working pen to presumably take a message. She had been refused admittance to the brunette's office, but she could clearly see her schedule on the computer and that there was nothing on it. And finally, she just took the chance of hurrying by and inside. "Okay," she said, seeing that Cammie was, indeed, not in a meeting--much to her relief, "if your being depressed is making you hide from me, it's time to stop and move on."

Cammie looked up in surprise as Drew suddenly appeared in front of her. "Drew..." She could only shake her head. "What are you doing here? I'm trying to get some work done." And if that gave her a reason to keep everyone out of her office, so much the better.

"I've been trying to call you all morning. You stood me up for breakfast," she said as she sank down into a chair in front of Cammie's desk. If by work, Cammie meant sulking, then that was certainly what it looked like she was doing.

"I got called into an early meeting. I'm sorry I didn't let you know." The meeting hadn't really been necessary, but it had been convenient. "And I can't just stop everything I'm doing just because my... girlfriend called." It was still weird to say it out loud, weird and uncomfortable.

"Cammie," Drew said sternly, leaning forward as she arranged her 'I'm so calling you on your bullshit' face, "if you want to sulk, you can sulk while you're having breakfast or dinner or whatever with me. But you're acting like a five year old. It's not like you don't have options."

Cammie pursed her lips. "I'm not sulking. And my options seem to involve going back to Wyoming and being a ranch hand, so I think maybe sulking is appropriate." She loved the ranch and she loved Wyoming, but she had gotten used to Washington, and Drew was there, and she definitely wasn't going to be moving to Wyoming anytime soon.

"Your options involve offers that you've refused to look at..." For a moment Drew softened. She stood and rounded Cammie's desk, walking behind her chair to gently massage her shoulders. "Cammie...I know it still really hurts, but you've got to pick up the pieces and move on..."

Cammie sighed and leaned back into Drew's hands. "None of these offers are real." She picked up a stack of envelopes only to drop them again. "They're just... sympathy. No one actually expects me to say yes."

Drew blinked, trying to take a calming breath before just launching into the brunette. She perched on the desk and reached out, forcing Cammie to look up at her. "No one does anything out of sympathy around here."

Cammie rolled her eyes. "Don't you have fundraising that you should be doing? Or trying to find votes for Taylor's latest foray into idealism?" She didn't really have a response to Drew, probably because she was right, but Cammie just couldn't bring herself to believe it.

"Yeah...I do," Drew said. "But I also have a girlfriend to keep from completely letting her career end in favor of cow shit...or whatever." She leaned forward, placing a little kiss on Cammie's cheek. "Just...promise me you'll take a look at some of the offers, okay?"

"Yeah" Cammie looked down. She kept forgetting that there were other people directly affected by her decisions now. "I will." She picked up the top most of the envelopes and looked it over carefully without opening it before she put it back down again. "You should get back to work."

"Dinner...your place at nine." Drew slid off of the desk and smirked. "You've got to show up there sometime, and I happen to have that key you gave me..." She hoped Cammie would take her seriously, would at least open the envelopes. It would be a start.

"Alright." Cammie reached out and caught Drew's hand before she could leave, and squeezed it tightly. "I'll see you tonight. I... I love you."


	28. Hard News

"Congresswoman-" Drew tapped on Taylor's office door before she pushed it open. This was the sort of news that Taylor would want to be delivered personally, and she knew she wouldn't want to hear it from anyone else, much less hear it at all.

Taylor looked up. "I thought that I asked not to be disturbed." She wasn't particularly upset at the interruption, though. It had been a long day, and it was barely noon.

"Yeah, I... Taylor, I'm so sorry." She handed a Taylor a piece of paper, knowing that Taylor's look of confusion would disappear as soon as she read the note.

*****

Taylor squeezed Abbie's hand, silently letting her know that she needed just another moment before she was ready step out of the church and rejoin the world. Abbie nodded and squeezed her hand back before pulling away and making her way toward the door. Taylor didn't watch her go, preferring to make her way back to the front of the church instead. She sat in the first pew and simply stared up at the alter, trying to make sense of something that she knew to be nonsensical. Her eyes were red with unshed tears and she pressed at them, trying still to keep those tears back.

As she got up and walked toward the first pew, Samantha was too aware of the sounds of her shoes on the stone floor. She slipped in beside Taylor and looked down to her hands as she crossed them in her lap. She didn't need to see Taylor's face. It would be too much like her own, which the well-placed net veil hanging from her hat was covering. She let the silence between grow, not searching for words.

Taylor looked up, but she continued to say nothing. But eventually, she did have to speak. "He..." She sighed, not quite knowing what to say. "The service was..." She could only shake her head. There was nothing for her to say, really.

"Yes," Sam replied softly. She had seen Taylor with Abbie earlier, but she understood the blonde's desire to be sitting there without her just then. Samantha finally turned, looking at Taylor fully. That summer came back to her so clearly, and she felt a pang of regret for the way they had strung Todd along. "He would have hated every moment of it." She couldn't keep a small smile from her face.

Taylor couldn't stop herself from chuckling. "Yeah, he would have hated the elaborateness of it all, even if he deserved it." She sighed again and pressed down on the bridge of her nose. "It still hasn't sunk in yet."

"He said you had lunch...when he called before he left." For a moment, Samantha wondered if it was the wrong thing to say. Todd called her regularly; somehow it had been easy for him to accept her and Selena. But with Taylor...he had something different. They shared things that he and Samantha didn't. "He was a good man."

"He was." Taylor nodded. "He was... He was better than I gave him credit for being." She leaned back in the pew. So many regrets. They should have talked sooner. She should have sought him out, rather than assuming the worst.

"I'm sorry," Samantha said softly. She looked back up at the alter, at the dazzling stained glass window above it. There was certainly enough of that being said that day, but there was more to Sam's apology. She knew that at least part of the tension that had always been between them had to do with their mutual friendships with Todd.

"So am I." She smiled slightly and squeezed Sam's forearm. This wasn't a day for hard feelings over things that had happened decades before. Taylor followed Sam's gaze and blinked back more tears, standing as soon as her vision cleared. "I'm sure Abbie is wondering what's taking me so long."

Samantha stood slowly, but she gently took Taylor's hand before she let her pass. "He's gone, but..." She took a long, shuddering breath in an effort not to spill any other tears. "Don't hesitate to call..." Sam didn't think Taylor would, but she wanted her to know that she was willing to try, that she was hurting as well.

"Thank you." Taylor nodded before pulling her hand away. She took one last look at the alter before she turned away. There wasn't anything left to keep her in the church.


	29. Proximity

Abbie stepped into the entry and put her keys on the table by the door. She could hear the television on in the living room. Taylor was where Abbie had found her every day that week—stretched out on the couch, a beer open but mostly still full on the coffee table. Abbie took off her coat and went to perch next to Taylor. She ran her fingers gently through the other woman's blonde hair, but Taylor barely acknowledged her.

"Come on, we should go out. Let's get dinner or something." Abbie had been willing to let Taylor deal with things her own way for a while, but it was getting worrisome.

"Mmmm." Taylor acknowledged the words that she didn't really hear. She didn't really feel like getting up and going out would take so much effort. It wasn't worth it, particularly when she wasn't hungry to begin with. "Just go without me. You can bring me something back, or something."

"That's not what I meant Taylor, I bet you've been here all day." Abbie leaned down and kissed Taylor's cheek, subtly working her lips down the blonde's neck, trying anything to pry her attention. "Come on, its time."

Taylor tilted her cheek away from Abbie, pulling away from the kisses but not taking her eyes off of the TV. She had never realized that soap operas could be so fascinating. "I don't feel like going anywhere."

Abbie's frustration sparked, and she reached for the remote. She turned the TV off and threw it across the room. "I know you're upset, and I know things take time Taylor, but this can't go on. I've gotten three calls from Drew today alone. People need you." _I need you_ she thought, but didn't say it.

"Drew is just being dramatic. I'm sure everything is going fine." Taylor ran a hand through her hair, and after flicking her eyes to Abbie, shifted her gaze to the bank of windows. She just needed a few more days at home, then she would be able to go back to work, back to DC.

"That's not the point Taylor, talk to me." Abbie was fairly sure it wouldn't be that easy. Taylor was always so self-assured, but something about losing Todd had hit her hard. While Abbie didn't know enough to fully understand why, she knew her partner and she wasn't going to fix herself easily. There was too much being held in.

Taylor's eyes flashed with anger when she finally looked at Abbie. "What do you want me to say Abbie? What can I say that's going to make this better, that's going to fix it? There isn't anything." She abruptly got up and stalked toward the kitchen. "I can't just be okay." Todd had been her best friend for a long time, even if they had grown apart after she had left the Navy. And now she wasn't ever going to get the chance to fix that. He was just gone.

Abbie caught up to Taylor in the kitchen, momentarily stunned by Taylor's tone. Abbie fought to keep hers level, moving closer to the blonde. Something in her was stirring- an innate sense about Taylor, mixed with her own feelings of frustration and needs. "I'm not asking you to be okay Taylor," She put her hands on the blonde's shoulders, keeping her from moving away, "I'm asking you to let me help you." 'God I hope I can' she thought.

Taylor tried to pull away anyway, even though she couldn't get anywhere. "There isn't anything that you can do either." She struggled in Abbie's hands, though she didn't have the energy to fight her way free.

But Abbie's fingers tightened, even as Taylor pulled against her. She didn't know what she was doing, but the next thing she was aware of was pulling Taylor in forcefully, kissing her, trying to make her do something- anything. Taylor's struggles didn't last long, and suddenly she was clinging to Abbie, kissing her back desperately, trying to push closer. She didn't know what had changed, but she couldn't get close enough, couldn't press far enough into Abbie's arms.

Abbie moaned; it had been too long since Taylor had kissed her- or touched her at all really. She pressed back, holding her and kissing her until she thought she would pass out from lack of breath. Finally she gasped, and pulled Taylor back just enough to speak. "Taylor...Taylor what do you need from me?" The other woman's shift had been so sudden, Abbie knew she was just reacting to the moment. But if all Taylor needed then was sex, Abbie would be more than willing. If it was more, she would try.

Taylor buried her face in Abbie's neck, still clinging to her. She was on the verge of tears, but she was trying so hard to push them away. "I don't know." Her hands were wrapped in Abbie's shirt, tightly fisted. "I don't know..."

Abbie moved a hand to run through Taylor's hair, trying to think, to collect herself. When she'd been in Taylor's place someone had always been there to pick her up- Taylor or Nora or Jack. Now it was her turn, but it wasn't the same. She couldn't just pull Taylor to bed and get her to sleep it off- sleeping was about all Taylor had been doing for over a week. Abbie considered the desperation in Taylor's kiss, how she was nearly dragging her shirt up already, and her fingers stilled, tightening in the hair at the back of Taylor's neck.

Taylor gasped at the sharp pain, and it only made her try to squirm closer. She kept pushing Abbie's shirt up, trying to get it off, trying to feel her skin. "Please..." She scratched her nails over Abbie's back.

With her free hand, Abbie pushed Taylor's fingers away. She took a slightly shaking breath and tugged Taylor's gaze up to meet her own. Something was starting to make sense about the moment that Abbie hadn't understood before, and she pulled Taylor away just slightly. "Alright Taylor." God, she hoped she knew what she was doing. Abbie kissed the blonde, and quietly moved her free hand to Taylor's shoulder, gently pushing her down. This wasn't the strong Congresswoman who Abbie shared her bed with each night. No—at that moment it was the searching, hot tempered ADA who used to arrive unannounced in the night, needing her touch to forget life for a moment.

Taylor sank to her knees automatically, looking up at Abbie almost helplessly. She was still reaching for Abbie, wrapping her hands in the loose fabric of Abbie's pants. She didn't know what she wanted, or what she needed, but she hoped that Abbie did.

Abbie paused, not knowing what to do next. She ran her fingers through Taylor's hair, trying to think. The other woman's expression was no longer strained, just expectant and pensive. Abbie wondered if that was the look Liz had seen on their nights together. She bit her lip, hoping Taylor didn't need as much as all that. "Get undressed." Abbie's voice was quiet, but her strength built, "Get undressed and go take a shower." It was needed, and it would give her a chance to think.

Nodding, Taylor stood, silently turning toward the bedroom. She didn't rush through the shower, even though she wanted to, taking her time to wash her hair thoroughly and to just stand under the water, letting it run over her shoulders and down her back. She wasn't thinking about what Abbie might be doing or thinking.

Abbie sunk onto the couch, listening to the sound of the shower running. She tried to think of what Taylor wanted from her, what might be enough of a distraction to settle her thoughts, to break down whatever barriers she needed. She glanced around the room and toward the bedroom, fidgeting slightly. Taylor had been upset long enough that Abbie just wanted to be touched, to feel Taylor moving against her. She shifted just at the thought, getting lightly wet imagining Taylor's skin on hers. Before the shower could turn off, Abbie stood and went to the bedroom to change.

Taylor turned the water off and got out of the shower, carefully drying off before she stepped into the bedroom. She swallowed around the lump in her throat. "Maybe we should just go to bed. I... I'm more tired than I thought." Taylor fidgeted.

Abbie paused, only halfway changed. She tugged a pair of jeans closed, covering the leather straps around her hips. It was taking her longer than it should have, but she couldn't remember the last time she'd worn it. Abbie turned back to look at Taylor, trying to maintain some amount of surety, "If that's what you really want." She took off her work shirt and reached for a soft silk top from a drawer and pulled it on. Taylor still looked forlorn, and Abbie moved a little closer to her, crossing her arms. "But if you just wanted to go to bed you could have simply said that earlier."

"I don't know." Taylor looked away, not meeting Abbie's eyes. She didn't know what she wanted or what she needed. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled a pillow into her arms, hugging it against herself.

As she tugged the pillow away, Abbie put a finger under Taylor's chin, making her look up at her. Her own heart was beating in her ears, and she tried to let go of her remaining worries. She wanted a drink, something to calm her, but she knew enough to stop herself from the impulse. Taking a breath, Abbie took the other woman's hair in her hands again, "It's okay," she was moving Taylor to the floor again, "because I think I do."

Taylor looked up at Abbie, leaning against her hands. Being on her knees again made her head spin, particularly as she had barely eaten that day. "Okay." She nodded almost absently, letting Abbie take over.

Abbie ran her fingers through Taylor's hair, trying to think of what to do next. She thought of earlier, how dismissive Taylor had been, and something stirred in her. "You shouldn't have done that earlier," her hands were getting more insistent, rougher, "you shouldn't ever pull away when I kiss you."

Taylor's breath caught, more at the touch than the words. "I'm sorry..." She looked down. "I won't do it again." She was reaching for Abbie again, needing to hold onto something.

Abbie pushed the hands away; she knew an automatic answer when she heard one. "No Taylor, it's not that easy. You've been doing it all week." She gave Taylor's hair a last twist and stepped back slightly out of reach, "put your hands behind your back until you deserve otherwise."

"I'm sorry." Taylor linked her hands behind her back, holding one hand with the other and trying to settle her shoulders. She licked her lips and stared at the floor.

That wasn't really much better, but Taylor's shoulders flexed as she complied, and Abbie couldn't help but enjoy the sight. Her legs were getting a little weak, and she sat on the edge of the bed. "Come here, I've waited far too long Taylor." The bulge was obvious in her jeans, and she tried to stay confident.

Taylor shuffled across the floor on her knees, a blush rising on her cheeks. She stopped between Abbie's knees, leaning in to press her mouth against the bulge in Abbie's pants, licking along the seam of her pants. "Is this good enough for you?" She was becoming belligerent again.

Abbie stiffed a moan at the proximity, then caught the tone and shoved Taylor back. "No. Not nearly enough and you know it." And she hadn't had enough all week, she'd even found herself listening for Taylor's breath to even out in sleep before sliding her own fingers between her legs more than once. She re-focused on the blonde in front of her, and unzipped her jeans, "I need more...now."

As she wrapped her lips around the dildo, Taylor slowly slid them down it. She had to grip her hands even more tightly to keep them behind herself. It had been a very long time since she had done this, but it quickly came back to her. She exaggerated her movements, making sure Abbie could see exactly what she was doing.

Shuddering under her breath, Abbie held Taylor down firmly, letting her know she wouldn't be the one to decide when to move on. She was painfully wet under the harness, and it was a rare experience to make herself wait so long. "That's it. Keep going, you deserve it don't you?"

Taylor twisted under Abbie's hands, coughing and choking, but not pulling away. If anything, she was pushing even closer, reveling in the punishment. She tried to nod, but it was hard to do that and keep licking, keep sucking.

Finally, Abbie let out a small moan as she thrusted just slightly further into Taylor's mouth. She pulled the blonde away, "That's enough." Abbie tried to catch a steadying breath. "Stand up."

Taylor reeled back and scrambled to her feet, trying to do what Abbie told her. It took her a second to find her balance. Everything felt like it was spinning slightly and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath.

Before Taylor could settle, Abbie's fingers were between her legs, and her own breath quickened at the growing wetness there. She stroked Taylor gently, but her expression only hardened, "You liked that." Abbie couldn't take the time to decide how she felt about that knowledge.

"I..." Taylor was wringing her hands behind her back. "Yes." She blushed even brighter and looked away. Her head was still spinning and Abbie's touch hadn't helped.

Abbie stood as quickly as she could, forcefully maintaining a serious expression. It wasn't easy- she was unsure, upset, and thoroughly turned-on all at the same time. She forced Taylor to look her in the eyes again, "I thought so. Now ask me Taylor."

"Please." Taylor looked up at Abbie. She felt so lost, and Abbie's touch, Abbie's presence was the only thing grounding her. "Please touch me. Please make me come." She leaned into Abbie's hands, beyond caring if she got what she wanted, only wanting Abbie to keep touching her.

The words were almost enough to make Abbie relent, but she knew when Taylor was holding back. Her stomach dropped, and she gripped Taylor by the hair again and bent her over the edge of the bed. "Not yet Taylor," Abbie took a steadying breath and moved behind the blonde, pressing into her abruptly. The end of the toy rubbed against her clit as she pushed, and her breath caught.

Taylor whimpered as she felt Abbie push into her and he immediately pushed back. "Please..." She couldn't keep her hands together any more and she gripped the bed, tilting her hips up into Abbie's thrusts.

"Quiet." Abbie didn't want to hear Taylor beg for it yet. She pulled nearly out, then back again. She moaned as their hips met. The contact wasn't quite enough for her to let go, but it was keeping her on edge. Abbie wrapped her fingers around Taylor's hips as she increased her thrusts, holding her in place. She wasn't used to this- and pushed harder than Taylor would with her, venting her own frustration.

"Ugh," Taylor whimpered again, but she didn't say anything. She didn't mind the force, or the pain that came with it. She was actively inviting more of it, spreading her legs and pushing back. She pressed her face into the bed and grabbed the comforter even tighter. She was getting closer with each of Abbie's thrusts, twisting desperately underneath her.

Abbie kept pushing, making no move to touch Taylor, her fingers instead still gripping the blonde's sides bruisingly. When she heard Taylor's breath quicken, however, she pulled back abruptly and yanked down her jeans, unbuckling the harness as well and tossing it onto the bed. Abbie didn't give Taylor any time to think- she was past that. She sat on the edge of the bed and shoved Taylor to the floor between her legs. "Go on.." Abbie's fingers twisted in Taylor's hair again, "you don't get to come until I do." And maybe longer...but she hadn't gotten that far, she had waited more than long enough for this.

Taylor hit her knees hard, wincing and knowing that they would be black and blue the next day. She pushed her tongue into Abbie, against her. As if stopping might mean something far worse than suffering Abbie's anger. The desire to taste, to be close, to make Abbie happy was completely consuming.

"Fuck..." Abbie let out a loud moan, head tossed back. She twisted her legs together over Taylor's shoulders, holding the blonde there. She twisted under the touch, taking as much satisfaction as she could, trying to prolong the moment.

Abbie moaned again, pushing down on Taylor's fingers, and against her tongue. Finally, she couldn't fight it any longer, and her whole body shook, coming hard. She didn't let Taylor go, holding her there until the last tremors left her, and she collapsed back on the bed. Immediately, Abbie felt a chill of insecurity, and covered her face with both hands, still breathing hard. She could still feel Taylor kneeling between her legs, and fought back a whimper.

That whimper was all it took to completely pull Taylor out of herself and into the reality of the moment. Abbie was hurting, and despite her own soreness, Taylor couldn't bear to let her. She quickly climbed up onto the bed and pulled Abbie into her arms, her focus returning. "Abbie, sugar, baby." Taylor kissed her lightly and held her close.

Abbie's head cleared slightly as Taylor wrapped around her. She could smell, taste, herself on the other woman's lips, and she took a shuddering breath. "Taylor...I...I don't know why..." God she hoped she hadn't done anything wrong.

"It's okay baby," Taylor said, pulling Abbie even closer. "It's okay. Everything's okay." She couldn't stand how unsure Abbie sounded and she just wanted to make it better.

Strangely, Taylor sounded more like herself, and Abbie settled against her skin. She had just wanted to pull Taylor out of her worries, her anger, but hadn't been prepared for her own. She pressed Taylor back and moved to cover her, "is it?" Abbie looked her in the eyes directly.

"Yes." Taylor's voice was sure. She used one hand to cup Abbie's face, pulling her in for another reassuring kiss. "It is. I love you and nothing's going to change that." The events of the night weren't even on the list of things that might. Things had gotten a little out of hand, but they would both be fine.

Abbie returned the kiss, nodding. She slowly moved a hand lower, just touching Taylor gently. The touch far from resembled what had happened before.

Taylor gasped at the touch and reflexively spread her legs. "You know you don't have to..." She didn't want Abbie to feel obligated if she was still upset and merely trying to hide it. She was still swollen and wet and too sensitive and Abbie's hand felt far too good for her to really want Abbie to stop.

"Shhh..." Abbie rubbed her in slow circles, breathing slowly, kissing Taylor's neck.

There was still a part of Taylor that was in that place that made following orders easy and she stopped herself from commenting. Instead, she focused on the feel of Abbie's hands and the way her body was responding, each touch making her feel better and better, bring her closer and closer to the edge. She whimpered slightly and opened her legs wider, wrapping an arm around Abbie to keep her close.

Abbie caught Taylor's lips in a kiss. She was moving subtly on top of the other woman, and almost didn't notice her body growing close to another orgasm, as focused as she was on feeling Taylor's reactions to her touch. "Taylor..." Abbie's eyes were just closed, feeling the moment build.

"I'm yours Abbie." She nuzzled against Abbie's neck. "Please," she asked once again, and her wish was soon granted. She shuddered underneath Abbie, a week's worth of emotion coming out in one moment and as her orgasm ebbed, she sobbed, clinging to Abbie and crying into her neck.

Abbie had moaned, letting go along with Taylor, and held her tightly as she went slack. Taylor's tears were quickly warm against her skin, and Abbie didn't moved away even enough to wipe them away. "It's okay Taylor, it's alright, I'm right here and I love you." Though it broke her heart to feel Taylor so hurt, it was infinitely better than watching her suffer in silence.

Taylor's jagged sobs weren't quick to dissipate and she had no idea how much time had passed before she finally quieted and simply rested in Abbie's arms. She realized then that she was utterly exhausted. She hadn't been sleeping well, but it hadn't mattered when she spent the days lying on the couch, attempting nothing more ambitious than walking to the kitchen or the bedroom. Now, she could barely keep her eyes open.

Quietly, Abbie ran her fingers through Taylor's hair, watching her relax. She pulled a blanket over them, content to rest for a while. There would be time later to pick up the pieces, to face the rest of life- but not just yet.


	30. Business as Usual

Samantha carefully ran her fingers over her tie, stopping to linger over the simple pin--a gift from Taylor and Abbie—she wore in it. She felt less tension in the air than the first time she and Taylor had had such a meeting, less tension than the last, if she were to admit it. Taylor did not wilt under her scrutiny, and while it was clear that she still neither appreciated nor enjoyed it: she simply accepted it. "I'm glad you could see me."

"Of course." Taylor shook Sam's hand before she took a seat on the other side of her desk. It was becoming more and more rare that she would have a free weekend at home, but this meeting, at least, wouldn't be particularly long and that was something that she had come to appreciate about Sam. She almost always got straight to the point and she never wasted Taylor's time. "Though you're lucky that Abbie got too busy for us to sneak away this weekend."

"You'll have to remind me to thank her." Samantha shifted in her chair easily, making herself more comfortable. She let a short silence fall again as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I won't take much of your time, and I think we both know why I'm here. It would not be easy to lend my support to another candidate after you've only just begun."

"You're assuming that I plan on running again." Taylor crossed her legs and leaned back. It wasn't something that she had made her mind up about yet, particularly after she had seen how spectacularly everything had fallen apart for Cammie. Drew was still showing up to work with unusually dark circles under her eyes and attacking everything with almost manic intent.

"And I hope I am not assuming incorrectly." The year had brought challenges, both expected and unexpected, for Taylor and Abbie as well as for herself and Selena, but she would not let Taylor so easily let go of what she had begun to build. "You've no doubt your pick of employment as does Abbie at this point, but there will be so much unfinished here."

Taylor shifted, letting just a bit of her discomfort show. "I haven't made up my mind yet." She looked down at her Academy ring and twisted it on her finger. There were so many days when they got so little accomplished, that it didn't feel as if she was doing much good. Perhaps there was someone else more capable... She pulled her minds away from those thought and her eyes back up to Sam. "There's always going to be something left unfinished, and the things that I did accomplish don't seem to mean much." Todd was still dead, Cammie's life was still in shambles.

"Is that so different from what you were doing before," Samantha said softly as she leaned forward, bright eyes trained on the blonde. She suspected that it wasn't. She also suspected that Taylor was still hurting; she was still hurting, herself. There had been a time when she would have insisted, when she would have pushed, but her approach to Taylor had been softened somewhat. "I need to know that you won't dismiss any serious thought of running again, Taylor. This...does not need to end so quickly."

"I meant it when I said I hadn't decided yet. I haven't dismissed the idea and I am giving it serious thought." Taylor straightened her shoulders and met Sam's eyes, seeing some of her own pain reflected there. She didn't particularly like spending time with Sam, but she thought that they might actually be something resembling friends now. She felt like she could be honest with Sam in a way that she couldn't with anyone else.

For a moment, Samantha's face softened, and she seemed to be looking both at Taylor and beyond her. One corner of her lips quirked up in a soft, half smile. "Selena is expecting," she said softly. Her tone was hushed, almost wistful as she thought of her parents, of her own childhood and how the world had changed. They were simple memories with very complicated musings pushing them to the forefront of her mind. "We haven't made an announcement yet, but we're very pleased." She focused on Taylor again.

"Congratulations." Taylor was taken aback by sudden openness in Sam's face, and she had a feeling that she was getting to see something that very few people ever did. She supposed that the same could be said of her, though. "You must be thrilled."

"Yes, very." Sam shifted again, fingering her tie, but she smiled more openly. "And even now I want to begin giving our child the things that take time to build." She had no desire to control Taylor; she had no desire to make some semblance of perfection through her money.

"I can understand that." Taylor sighed deeply and stood, walking over the windows and their view of the city. She rested her hands on the sill, rubbing her thumbs over the rough brick. It left faint scratches against her skin. They would be easily soothed away by a quick brush against her pants. "I just don't know if I'm the right person to help you do that. Todd..." His death had hit her hard, had affected her in ways that she hadn't even realized at the time. "We went to lunch right before his last deployment."

"I know," she said quietly as she rose from her seat and went to the window beside Taylor. "He called before he left. I..." She shook her head and looked out to the city before turning herself fully to Taylor. "If you didn't have doubts, you wouldn't be right for this job. Go home, Taylor, talk to Abbie...really consider it."

"Yeah." Taylor nodded and finally let go of the windowsill. "I appreciate your support." She tried to smile, but it wasn't entirely genuine, but she offered Sam her hand. "And I'll let you know what I decide."

Samantha straightened as she offered Taylor her hand, shaking firmly. "Give Abbie my best, of course."

"I will. Congratulate Selena for me." She pulled away, letting Sam show her out of her office. She and Abbie were getting out the city the next weekend. They could talk about it then.


	31. Good Decisions

The glass door sliding shut behind Taylor woke Abbie from her light sleep. The day was just warm enough to pretend it was summer, but the ocean air was still light. She stirred and pushed her sunglasses up onto her head, turning slightly on the lounge chair to greet Taylor. "Mmm...hey." Abbie smiled, and stretched her shoulders, "did you make the calls you needed to?" Even though they were 'away' for the weekend, real life was always just around the corner.

"Unless something blows up, I'm done for the weekend." Taylor returned Abbie's smile as she sat on the edge of her lounge chair and leaned down for a kiss. "I thought we could walk into town for dinner..." She let her hand drop to Abbie's stomach and under the edge of her linen shirt, fingertips resting on warm skin. "I didn't mean to interrupt your nap."

Abbie sighed quietly, enjoying the moment. Her eyes trailed after Taylor's fingers as they drew slow circles on her skin. "That sounds nice." Things had been so busy lately for both of them, and it had allowed the bigger questions in life to go largely ignored. She lay back, letting Taylor move closer, "So how was Samantha? We didn't get a chance to talk about your meeting."

"She was...well, Sam is Sam." And that was all Taylor could really say about her. Abbie would know what she meant. "They're expecting. Selena just found out." A small smile tugged at Taylor's lips. The thought of Sam with a toddler was just too much for her.

"Really?" Abbie laughed quietly, "Well I suppose someone's got to be an heir to the Kincaid family fortune." She paused, maybe a few moments more than she intended. Abbie thought she saw the smile linger on Taylor's lips, but pushed her next thoughts away for a more appropriate time, even though she wasn't sure when that time would be. The brunette raised an eyebrow, and continued with the conversation at hand. "Did she ask about the fall?" It was in the back of both their minds, and now seemed like as good of a time as any.

Taylor nodded and tangled their fingers together. "I told her that I hadn't decided yet, but she'll want to know something soon." She was still just as conflicted as she had been that day, still no closer to saying yes or no.

Abbie watched Taylor's shifting gaze, felt her start to fidget with her hands. Underneath it all- the stress, the setbacks, and the scars, she knew Taylor loved the work. And she believed in it- and so did Abbie. She took a breath, dismissing the thoughts of the small things- the things that wouldn't matter in a year- maybe two. She looked up at Taylor, "I think you should." It was a simple statement, but it was the truth that Taylor needed to hear.

"Do you?" She had never had any doubt that Abbie would support her, no matter what decision she made, but she valued Abbie's opinion. "Do you think I'm accomplishing anything? Is anything getting better?" There were times when it felt like they were, but they were few and far between and most of the time it seemed like the only people benefiting from it all were the people writing the rules.

"Of course you are." Abbie's tone dropped slightly, indicating she had moved on from their casual banter. "You are Taylor, and you know I'm not the only one who thinks so." She sat up in the chair fully, "people voted for you Taylor, and rare as it is these days—a lot of them actually voted for _you_ and not just what color your campaign shirts are." She allowed a quiet smile at the last comment.

"Maybe it was really a referendum on how good you look in them." Taylor's smile broadened, but she still had her reservations. "Is this really how I want to spend the rest of my career?" It wasn't a question that she had a good answer for yet.

"I think you already know the answer to that." Abbie had seen Taylor handle cases for the DA's office- had seen her passion there, but it was eclipsed by how passionately she could pursue things now. Yes it was stressful, almost impossibly so for them both at times, but Abbie couldn't imagine Taylor going back to some law office or state building someplace and bickering with other attorneys, or shifting through endless case law.

Taylor nodded and lay down next to Abbie, necessity forcing them even closer than desire and she rested her head on Abbie's shoulder. "You're right." She put her hand back on Abbie's stomach. "I love doing this. I love." She sounded more intense than she realized. "I love it, but is that a justification to keep doing it if I don't know that I'm being effective?"

"Yes." Abbie smiled then and tugged Taylor closer, "because you are, and I can't think of anyone who could try harder." She pulled her hair over one shoulder then as she leaned back, "And besides- I think I'm getting used to being a congresswoman's wife." Abbie could see things settling in Taylor's mind, and it gave her a small thrill.

Taylor nodded, pressing her lips to Abbie's neck. "Okay." She was keep thinking about it for the rest of the weekend, turning over the possibilities in her mind until she had worn away all of her own objections, but the foundation was there. "You know, there's always the possibility that I won't get reelected. People could always vote for whoever decides to run against me."

Abbie's eyes flashed, and she held Taylor close to her, "Well, that at least is something we don't have to worry about tonight." She kissed Taylor, and then pushed back slightly so they were eye to eye, "I love you, you know. And even if it means spending my summer at those stuffy cocktail receptions and laughing at jokes that haven't been funny since 1982, I'm excited to do it with you."

"I think 1982 is being a little generous." Taylor smiled, "but I'm glad you'll be there with me. If things go well, you might be forced to listen to those jokes for a long time." Eventually there was going to be more to think about than just the next congressional election.

"I'll survive somehow." Abbie grinned and stood, reaching her hand out for Taylor, "We have a few hours before dinner, and I can think of a way to spend them, but we should go inside." Her grin broadened, "I'd hate to start your next campaign having to explain how illicit photos of a candidate turned up on the Internet."

Taylor laughed lightly as she gave Abbie a light kiss. "Mm, good point." But she held her there for a moment, smiling as she looked into her eyes. The decision was made, and she knew without a doubt that they could keep doing this, that they would do it together.


	32. Epilogue

The wind was more than doing its part to wreak havoc on Alex's hair. She walked quickly, heels clicking along the sidewalk, as she held a makeshift ponytail in one hand and her bag in the other. It was an annoyance she barely noticed compared to how her week had been going. The latest case seemed to just be getting worse and worse, and trying to salvage it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But Alex was more than determined.

She glanced at the coffee shop and decided to pass it by. There were other things to do, and she didn't have the hands to hold the cup or the capacity to deal with getting it all over her silk blouse. As she headed across the street, she kept her head down, concentrating on her steps, on a thousand other things—the small details of the case. But as she stepped onto the sidewalk and glanced up, Alex was struck by the crowd on the steps. It wasn't general cluster that accompanied some cases that got attention, and there was nothing going on that would draw this.

Then she saw her, immediately recognizing that flash of a smile. Alex let her hand slip to her side, and the wind caught her hair, twisting the straight strands and whipping them across her face. She couldn't hear a word Taylor Hamilton was saying when she stopped smiling and started again because her eyes soon fixed on Abbie behind her. Alex could almost remember her boxy suits like it was yesterday. She had certainly graduated from her own, and so had Abbie, who was wearing a dress with as simple shrug. She was the picture of a supportive wife, but she had not lost any of her edge.

Alex found that she was holding her breath waiting for Abbie's pleasant, attentive expression to change into a full smile. Applause was beginning, and Alex only just registered that Taylor was announcing that she was running again. She had moved from the makeshift podium and Abbie had stepped up next to her. There they were…arm in arm. Alex couldn't remember the last time she had walked arm in arm with anyone, but she could remember one evening, strolling home after just a little too much wine with her arm around Abbie's slim waist and Abbie's around her shoulders. They had been laughing.

She drew in such a sharp breath that it hurt, but Abbie was smiling. She was smiling and she was beautiful…and she was entirely happy. Alex pressed her lips together, stunned still that it could continue to hurt after what seemed like so long. As Abbie turned her gaze to the crowd, Alex's heart pounded. She watched those dark eyes sweep over the faces without making contact with hers. Abbie had not seen her. She had felt so numb…so numb since she'd come back, and now feeling the sting of this was almost too much.

Slowly, her hair still whipping across her cheeks and neck, Alex backed away. She could come back after a cup of coffee. She could avoid turning on her television or watching the video that would inevitably be on the internet. But she wouldn't; she wouldn't avoid it, and afterward, she would make her way to Liz's, as she had come back again and again after the first time she had returned to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is easy when Alex returns, not even going back to the thing she needs most. - [Exposed](http://archiveofourown.org/works/114378) (NC-17)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Realities](https://archiveofourown.org/works/100864) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo)
  * [Hidden Away](https://archiveofourown.org/works/104238) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo)




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